Benefits of Reading

I have loved to read ever since I was little reading mysteries like Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden which evolved to John Grisham and Stephen King in my teens to self help and health books the past decade. So many books, so little time as I like to say. It turns out that reading also has health/mental health benefits.

• Reading helps strengthen areas of the brain
• Helps with depression
• Helps understand ourselves and how other people think and behave
• Provides a view into the knowledge of other people. You can even learn things from people who are no longer alive .
• Provides an escape from reality
• Reading books, but not newspapers or magazines, is associated with living about 20% longer than non readers
• Reading a book you enjoy helps reduce stress
• You can teach yourself about anything that you might not normally be exposed to

I have a Kindle, but I prefer reading an actual book. You don't have to worry about blue light. It's easier to gauge progress and having the whole book in front of me makes it easier to go back and review other pages. I like to use Post It tabs for bookmarks to easily bookmark things. When you buy books, they do tend to pile up, but you can always sell them or pass them on to someone else when you are done. The Kindle helps prevent that and you can bring your whole collection with you, which is handy. Challenge: Grab a book and start reading. Make sure it interests you though. Otherwise it will be tough to finish. Libraries are free. There are also apps that let you read books for free like Project Gutenberg. The Mid York Library System Overdrive app or Libby lets you borrow digital versions of books. Thrift stores sell books for a few dollars or less. I found one on my to read list at the Salvation Army one time and saved a lot of money buying it there. Ebay and Amazon sell new and used books too. If you're not much of a reader and reading a book sounds too daunting, grab a newspaper or magazine and work your way up to a book. Resources: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953616303689?via%3Dihub https://www.artsandmindlab.org/mental-health-benefits-reading/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5105607/ https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-reading-books#what-to-read https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-16892-001 #ads More Reading Resources