Why reading is fundamental.

When I was a child it was a family joke that if you were to look up the definition of ‘bookworm’ in the dictionary you’d find a picture of me. Books are something which have fascinated me for the last 36 (almost 37) years of my life. As a self-confessed introvert they are my favourite form of escape; and as a business owner they are a valuable source of competitive advantage and inspiration. And I’m talking real books here. Printed on paper - I have a bookcase full of them. You can keep your Kindle. Even the simple act of cradling a book in my hands excites me. 

Aside from my love affair with books, it turns out that books, in fact the act of reading them, does a lot for our mental health and well-being too. Which makes sense really because whenever I fail to make time to read I honestly notice the black dog reappearing at my door. Just like I do whenever I let my exercise schedule slide. It’s no surprise then, that I’ve set myself the goal of reading a book each week this year, and that I volunteered to become a judge at this month’s Business Book Awards. 

But on World Book Day 2020 here’s 10 other benefits of reading:

1. Reading helps boost pleasure in your daily life, delays dementia and even helps you live longer.
2. People who read books for as little as 30 mins a day live 2 years longer than people who didn’t read at all.
3. Children that read with their parents several times a week show stronger literacy skills, score higher on intelligence tests and land better jobs than non-readers.
4. Reading increases empathy and emotional intelligence which can lead to more positive human interaction which can lower stress levels.
5. Reading actual books builds spatial intelligence – perceiving how distances and directions interact, particularly with regard to your place in space. Useful for map reading, building, planning and even sports.
6. Reading can help to tackle ‘technostress’ from our lives lived through a screen – enforcing a period of calm recovery from overload, good for the mind and likely mood.
7. ‘Deep reading’ (unlike skimming a page for example) forces your brain to think critically and make connections from one chapter or content piece to another, and to the outside world. Something the early careers app Fledglink encourages its community of engaged young people to do.
8. Reading is great ‘brain food’ literally forging new pathways between regions in all four lobes and both hemispheres. Over time this can promote quicker thinking and may provide a greater defence against the worst effects of cognitive decay.
9. Reading fills your mind and exposes you to new words, phrases, and facts – a large vocabulary may lead to a more resilient mind, improving its ability to adapt to damage.
10. Reading sparks your imagination – no two people will imagine the story being told in the same way

And that’s why reading is fundamental my friends. The library is open - go and grab yourself a book today. 

#WorldBookDay