In modern times where no one can be bothered to type out a decent message, where the shortest of shorthand is used just so you can voice your opinion first, where time is always limited, we have lost our enthusiasm (and maybe our ability) to truly read. Many of you won’t even get to the second paragraph of this blog post. Many of you already stopped reading as you realised the post was on what might sound like an uninteresting topic: Reading.
Reading offers three main benefits: It improves the connections
between brain synapses, it improves your emotional connections, and it reduces stress.
How? Keep reading to find out.
When we read, we constantly re-use vocabulary. This repetitive function leads to the strengthening of brain patterns formed. The continuous recall of information is basically ongoing practice. This not only helps you to retain information at an increased rate - which is beneficial for studying - but it also fights against dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Through reading we also increase our vocabulary use. Studying big and fancy words to use in college essays is not the same as becoming
comfortable with the use of those words. The more you use and truly understand a wider and more complex variety of words, the better your comprehension of the emotional connections caused by the words will be. If you get better at using language to describe, interpret and process emotions, you will also gain a deeper understanding into the human psyche.
You become more aware of your and and other people’s emotional cues. You are able to pick
up on subtle signs and therefore form deeper connections. This is the main
reason writers are more emotional people. They tend to feel more than others
because they truly understand the emotional connotations in conversations. I’m
not saying we all need to become more emotional, but the point here is that you cannot
form a true emotional connection with anyone, family, friend or colleague,
if you cannot understand what they are really saying on a deeper level. Our relationships become
superficial. In times when we are forced to keep a distance from one another, it's no wonder so
many of us are becoming more and more lonely and stir-crazy despite all the various
communication channels available to help us stay connected.
And finally, did you know that you can reduce depression and stress through reading? Reading something you enjoy, whether it's a thrilling whodunit or a gardening magazine, can help you de-stress faster than other relaxation methods, such as listening to music. In fact, reading has been shown to reduce stress by up to 68%, even in just a few minutes! Why not try reading something that makes you laugh every day? Through laughter we decrease our heart rate and blood pressure, improve oxygen intake which stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, increase release of endorphins, improve the immune system, reduce pain - the list goes on! All of this helps to keep us healthy and fight against depression and illness naturally.
In today's social-media-driven world rife with instant gratification and convenience-above-all-else, we need to take extra care not to lose the true connections found in relationships because we’re too lazy to spend time on real conversations using actual words with true emotional meanings. We need to take extra care to not lose our best memories because we’re too lazy to reinforce brain synapses. We need to take extra care not to turn into a depressed planet dependent on chemicals to try to combat our isolation and loneliness. And one of the ways to take extra care, is to read more.
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