5 Benefits of Reading Regularly

In addition to opening up your world to new people and places, reading on a regular basis has many developmental and mental benefits. 

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Now more than ever, the upcoming generation is inundated with information and greater access to different cultures and ideas. But as we know, this access can be overwhelming without the tools to understand the ever-changing world around them. This is why reading on a regular basis is becoming ever more important for kids and teenagers. 

Here are 5 long-lasting benefits of reading:

Improves Memory

If you think back to the first book you remember reading, you might recall passages or descriptions from the book. Once you allow yourself, you’ll find that these lines or description will set off other passages and descriptions that you may have otherwise thought you had forgotten.

The capacity to improve recall is one of reading’s most defining characteristics. Often you can leave a book for many years, but when you return to it, you’ll find you can pretty much pick up where you left off. Good recall means a generally healthy brain and an improved capacity to learn.

Increases Vocabulary

Getting into the reading habit early has endless benefits in terms of your ability to clearly express yourself. The ability to hold a verbose and articulate conversation is an important part of what it means to be human.

“As well as improving expression at a social level, broadening a child’s vocabulary will ensure that they have the verbal dexterity to do better at school and college. They’ll find it less frustrating when it comes to essay writing or producing reports,” adds Maura Roy, editor at Revieweal.

Builds Critical Thinking

Reading is an important part of learning critical thinking. If you ever read to a child of three or four and watched them as the put together the pictures and the words you are saying, you will probably see a level of concentration that is rare to see even in adults.

Reading is fundamentally about learning patterns — whether it’s patterns of language within poetry, patterns of story structure and theme in fiction, or patterns of ideas and argument when reading non-fiction. 

Creates Empathy

One of the most obvious benefits to reading is our ability to see the world through other people’s eyes. A book gives us an uninterrupted discourse from those we are intrigued about or admire. Reading historical diaries, for instance, doesn’t just give us historical facts, but gives us as close an experience as is possible to witnessing history in real time. When we read fiction, we are journeying along with the writer to meet the characters of their psyche, who may be reflections of the writer’s life, which allows us to witness how the writer interprets their inner world.

“Reading allows us to see other viewpoints as well. Though often we are bombarded with discourse from those we may disagree with, learning empathy from reading means recognizing other people’s inner worlds in a way that would be very difficult under any other circumstances,” says Andrew Pitre, author for Research Papers. 

Better Mental Health

Taken together, the above benefits all lead to better mental health. If we are able to exercise our memory, then we have a greater chance of understanding the events that occur in our lives. If we are able to express ourselves clearly through a wide vocabulary, we can make sure that we are understood in any given situation. If we are able to develop critical thinking, then we can exercise understanding of the complex issues the world throws at us. If we can develop empathy, then we are able to see ourselves in others, even when we don’t agree with them.

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