Improves your ability to empathise with others
To return to the subject of feeling pain, research conducted by Trusted Source has revealed that people who read literary fiction — novels that explore the inner lives of characters — demonstrate an enhanced ability to comprehend the feelings and beliefs of others.
Researchers refer to this ability as “theory of mind,” which refers to a collection of talents that are necessary for establishing, navigating, and maintaining social interactions.
While a single session of reading literary fiction is unlikely to elicit this reaction, research conducted by Trusted Source has found that long-term fiction readers have a more fully formed theory of mind than short-term fiction readers.
It helps you to expand your vocabulary.
Reading researchers have been debating what is known as the “Matthew effectTrusted Source” since the 1960s, a name that relates to the biblical text Matthew 13:12, which states: “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.” Everyone will be taken away from them, even if they have all they need.”
As the name implies, the Matthew effect is the belief that wealth accumulates as poverty decreases – a concept that applies as much to vocabulary as it does to financial wealth.
It has been discovered by researchersTrusted Source that pupils who read books on a regular basis, starting at a young age, progressively build vast vocabularies. Furthermore, the quantity of your vocabulary can have an impact on a variety of aspects of your life, from test scores to college admissions and work chances.
According to a Cengage research performed in 2019, 69 percent of employers are looking to hire employees who have “soft” talents, such as the ability to interact effectively. Reading books is the most effective technique to expand your exposure to new words, as they are learned in their natural context.
It helps to reduce tension.
Researchers in the United States studied the impact of yoga, humour, and reading on the stress levels of students enrolled in demanding health science programmes in 2009. Their findings were published in 2009.
Researchers discovered that 30 minutes of reading might lower blood pressure and heart rate as well as symptoms of psychological discomfort in the same way that yoga and humour could.
“Because time constraints are one of the most frequently cited reasons for high stress levels reported by health science students, 30 minutes of one of these techniques can be easily incorporated into their schedule without diverting a significant amount of time away from their studies,” the authors concluded.
It gets you ready for a nice night’s sleep.
Doctors at the Mayo Clinic recommend that reading be included as part of a regular sleep schedule.
In order to achieve the best benefits, it is recommended that you read from a print book rather than from a screen, because the light emitted by your device may keep you awake and cause other negative health consequences.
If you have problems falling asleep while reading, doctors recommend that you read somewhere other than your bedroom.
It can help to relieve the symptoms of depression.
Sir Roger Scruton, a British philosopher, famously said, “Consolation from imagined things is not an imaginary consolation.” People suffering from depression frequently feel lonely and separated from the rest of society. And it’s a mood that reading can occasionally help to alleviate.
Occasionally escaping your own reality and becoming immersed in the imagined experiences of the characters can be a rewarding experience when reading fiction. Nonfiction self-help books, on the other hand, can offer you tactics that may be useful in managing symptoms.
That is why the National Health Service of the United Kingdom has launched Reading Well, a Books on Prescription programme, in which medical specialists recommend self-help books chosen by medical experts expressly for specific ailments.
