The surprising benefits of picking up a book
On National Read a Book Day, we take a look at the perks within the pages
In our increasingly fast-paced lives, it can be hard to find the time to pick up a good book – let alone finish one. But science has showed, time and time again, that flicking through a well-thumbed novel is one of the best way to improve your mental aptitude, physiologically wellbeing and intelligence. So get yourself to the library, gents and take a look at why books are best.
Rather than staring blankly at your screen before bed (is that what you’re doing right now?) picking up a book can actually help you sleep. Even e-readers, the techy cousins of the traditional book, have been proven to impede your sleep, so the next time you decide to scroll through Facebook before bed, swap that out for a book instead – who knows, you might even learn something.
It’s been proven that reading can not only cause you to want to read more – with picking up a paperback turning into a borderline addiction, but it can also inspire those around you to read more as well. So, if your flat or housemate is reading all the time, you’re more likely to join in. Similarly, if you’re on your commute, and everyone but you is enjoying the latest best-seller, you’ll soon put away your smartphone and join in.
According to science, getting lost in a good book can legitimately make you a nicer person. Fiction, specifically, has the power to increase your capacity for empathy and train you to get into the head of others to rationalise their actions and thoughts. In a study published in the journal Science, researcher David Comer Kidd wrote: “Understanding others’ mental states is a crucial skill that enables the complex social relationships that characterize human societies.”
Flipping through the pages of a book can be a serious stress-reliever. Research, most notably a 2009 study by Sussex University, showed that reading could even reduce your stress by up to 68 per cent. “It really doesn’t matter what book you read,” says cognitive neuropsychologist and study author David Lewis, “by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination.”
Books reportedly contain a vocabulary 50 per cent larger than that seen on prime time television shows. That means, that even if you’re binging the more brainy boxset you can find, opening up a good thriller or adventure novel will boost your thinking power without compare. Studies have also shown that stronger reading skills mean higher intelligence later in life. But choose a real book – e-readers can slow your progress down by up to 30 per cent.
Like chess or puzzles, reading trains your brain. And, whilst this means higher intelligence – as seen above – the coupling of mind-eye co-ordination and larger vocabulary can bolster your brain and defend it from degenerative disorders later in life such as Alzheimer’s disease. So pick up a book – it could save your life.
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