Written By: Isa Gonzalez Montilla
Book-reading behavior has been on a decline in the United States since 1992, according to a survey conducted by The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. It shows that about 53% of American adults have read at least one book for leisure in the past year. This is the lowest rate of reading since 1992. Now the question is: why? People’s excuses for their poor reading tendencies stretch from “I don’t have time,” “books are expensive,” to “I don’t know what to read” and “I just never got in the habit.” Reading is a vital skill to have and a beneficial practice for human development. Read more to learn more about the three superpowers you will gain from reading.
1. Super-Awareness: Open-mindedness: Exposes You to a New World
When we are reading, we are experiencing and analyzing life through the perspective of others. Reading allows us a unique opportunity that most activities can’t offer: a chance to live another life without leaving our own. As Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For a while, knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.”
This quote emphasizes the importance of expanding your imagination and how it enables out-of-the-box thinking. As much as reading can help you learn, it also helps you to think innovatively and into the future.
2. Brain-Powers: Effective Cognitive Functions and a Healthy Mental Health
Reading improves levels of concentration and muscle-memory. Those who get easily distracted tend to have a harder time immersing themselves in the reading experience. But little do people know that the brain’s magical powers make this habit a lot easier to cling on to. After just 2-4 weeks of reading, your brain experiences neurological adaptations which train your brain’s muscle-memory to read effectively. Along with this, research shows that reading as little as six minutes a day reduces stress by 68%.
This decrease in anxiety allows for people to live in the present and learn how to properly focus. When you can separate multi-tasking from single-focused tasks, you are more likely to be a better worker. Lastly, books have the potential to inspire people to push through the hard times in life when they read about a character's obstacles. This sense of inspiration builds resilience and determination which are two great ingredients for a strong mental health.
3.Empathic Abilities: Ability to Engage and Empathize
Speaking is one of the basic ways we engage with each other. One is exposed to new vocabulary each time they read a book. This allows people to understand a variety of meanings and emotions behind behaviors, phenomenons, and experiences that can help them develop into engaging and empathetic individuals. Parents play a huge role in the influence of book-reading during the early years of child development. All parents must take on the responsibility of introducing this essential skill to their children, as well as keeping it in their daily routine so that we can continue to positively advance as a society.
SOURCES:
ALL THE REASONS TO READ: ITS IMPORTANT
https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/why-its-important-to-read/
WHY WE DONT READ
https://www.thoughtco.com/why-people-dont-read-738494
READING HABITS IN THE US STATS STATISTA
https://www.statista.com/topics/3928/reading-habits-in-the-us/
WHY WE READ? REASON ^#: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER> IMAGINATION IS MORE VALUABLE
NEA STATS
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE HATE BOOKS?
https://www.spreeder.com/why-do-some-people-hate-books/
