For many people, there is nothing like getting lost in a good book. Reading allows us to escape from daily stress. The reality is that reading is a beneficial mental exercise. When people read, they disconnect from the real world and break the boundaries of their imagination. In addition to feeding the imagination, this activity promotes concentration and helps us improve some social skills like empathy. Also, reading can help improve communication skills and make them more effective. Reading certainly helps push us forward and prepares us for success!
1. Reading reduces stress.
Our fast pace of life makes it almost impossible to completely eliminate stress. Nevertheless, there are things we can do to reduce it. One of these things is reading. According to a 2009 study by the University of Sussex (UK), reading can reduce stress levels by 68%, even more so than listening to music or going for a walk. Spending just 6 minutes reading a newspaper or a book reduces heart rhythm and muscle tension. Therefore, this activity can be an effective way to escape from our routines and spend a quiet moment with ourselves.
2. Reading feeds our imagination and creativity.
When we read, we use our imagination. While reading, we project what we are reading into our mental space, linking specific situations with our experiences and with our temporal states: past, present and future. When we consciously read about a topic we like, new ideas and approaches emerge. Everything we read is a story of sorts, one of the things our brains like the most. In these stories, we can find all kinds of social, historical, cultural, geographical and scientific references that expand our knowledge and push our creativity. And this creativity can inspire us to take on some new personal and professional projects.
3. Reading slows down cognitive impairment and promotes concentration.
As we age, our brain slows down. Stimulating mental functions is a key factor in preventing cognitive decline, especially in relation to more serious disorders such as dementia. In fact, reading is considered as a preventative measure against dementia. In addition, an active brain not only works better, but also increases its own response speed. When we read, we force our brains to think, organise ideas, interlink concepts and exercise its memory function, which all allow us to improve our concentration and intellectual capacity.
4. Reading promotes empathy and social skills.
Reading generates conversation topics, which facilitates interaction and social relationships. An avid reader identifies with the characters of the stories he or she reads. This means that the reader is more open to new ideas, different ways of thinking and other cultures. This promotes empathy and understanding. Simply put, the more you read, the more you understand. Empathy is very important in our personal and our professional lives to help us connect with others, and better understand their circumstances and reactions.
5. Reading improves communication.
Reading makes us better speakers and better writers, which influences how we communicate with people in our personal and professional lives. It’s necessary to communicate well to work efficiently. The words we use to build a message are key to the message delivery and its intention as well as perception. Reading also helps us have a richer vocabulary, which means you can incorporate these new words into your existing vocabulary to find new ways to express yourself in both personal and professional contexts.
Paula Dalmau
Communications Coordinator Sales and Marketing, Medline Iberia
Paula is a passionate Spanish writer based in Madrid. Her interests are well-being, emotional intelligence and business topics. Her educational background is in journalism, advertising, public relations and digital marketing. Learn more on LinkedIn.
25 February 2021
