It has been noted that, like so many nations, Batswana are not that much into reading. Technology has taken us by storm and the thought of hitting the library or buying a good book is far-fetched. If you’re one of countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing out: reading has a significant number of benefits, and just a few benefits of reading are listed below.
1. Fun.
Reading is fun. With the large variety of genres, there’s something for everyone. Fancy some action? A drama in which you can find characters to identify with, because you feel sad and lonely? Something more down-to-earth, like a reportage about a country or a historical period you’re interested in? Just find the right shelf at the library.
2. Shaping Personality.
Personality is not something you are born and blessed or cursed with forever, till the end of your days. Reading any artistic literature can make people more empathetic and understanding, because the process itself is like a conversation, getting to know a person.
3. Knowledge.
Reading is learning. Whatever you read, whether it’s a melodramatic harlequin or a series of scientific articles, you always obtain new information. One day it can turn out to be fruitful. Besides, being well-read, working on your knowledge and intellectual capacities also makes you more self-confident.
4. Improves Focus And Concentration.
Unlike blog posts and news articles, sitting down with a book takes long periods of focus and concentration, which at first is hard to do. Being fully engaged in a book involves closing off the outside world and immersing yourself into the text, which over time will strengthen your attention span.
5. Stress Reduction.
No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.
6. Vocabulary Expansion.
The more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem.
7. Improves Memory.
When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. That’s a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvelous things and can remember these things with relative ease.
8. Better Writing Skills.
Exposure to published, well-written work has a noted effect on one’s own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will invariably influence your own work. In the same way that musicians influence one another, and painters use techniques established by previous masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the works of others.
9. Relaxation.
In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good book, it’s possible that the subject you read about can bring about immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm, while reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses.
10. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills.
Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the mystery yourself before finishing the book? If so, you were able to put critical and analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the details provided and sorting them out to determine “who did it”.
