Why is Reading Important?

Reading has many benefits that can last a lifetime and enrich lives in many ways. When you read you increase your understanding of words, and improve communication and writing skills. You can even reduce stress when you get into a really good and engrossing book.

Let's explore reasons why it is beneficial to read.

Simply put, when you read you are exposed to more words and are challenged to learn new words and their meanings. So, you are, potentially, increasing your vocabulary in a fun way.

Reading a book or an article works the brain; you have to give attention to what the writer has conveyed, working at understanding the meaning of the work and it's parts; you must understand each character, each concept, each scene or each issue. This, of course, increases your comprehension of certain things in the work you are reading and teaches you how to go about understanding things on down the line.

When you read, you have to pay attention. And depending on the complexity of what you are reading, you might have to intensely pay attention. Imagine how that can pay off in other parts of your life.

All of the previously mentioned--vocabulary, focus, comprehension--these things combined give you better communication skills; learning words and their meanings will give you the capacity to convey deeper and more complex issues and principles to people, with a bit of ease because now you have an arsenal under your belt to work from.

Now you've learned more words, see how they can be put together in comprehensive and cohesive ways, so now you can apply that principle to your own writing. I'm certain most great writers are also readers.

Learning how writers approach things gives you some impetus for creating your own stories, essays or articles. You see it can be done and how it can be done and are inspired to venture out on your own with your writing endeavors.

Because reading makes you examine things in the work that you're reading, exercises the brain, you are now in the frame of mind to examine many other things too.

Again, reading works the mind, makes you explore issues in the book, essay or article you are reading, and gives you some inspiration for further exploration elsewhere. Of course, in and of itself reading involves learning.

Focusing on something else other than the everyday stress of life is great relief. When I was in college, I enjoyed reading things that I found fascinating because I could get lost in a book for awhile and not think about the pressures of my daily life.

Considering that relationships are built on good communication, it just makes sense that the readers out there, who have a decent vocabulary and good communication skills have a better chance of making things work out in their relationships.

Reading works the brain and we need good brains; for our brains to remain functioning properly, they must be exercised; if not, atrophy can set in and by the time we reach old age we are in danger of having dementia and memory loss. Seems reading could increase our chances of having a good working brain as the years go by.

And most of us have a good amount of stress in our lives too; reading can be building up our intelligence while it gets rid of our stress.

Life is better when more of it is understood. You can participate in more things the greater your comprehension is; in voting, college, in many other endeavors. You can understand challenges that you meet in all aspects of your life better when you are accustomed to examination that is deeper and broader, which has come from a rich source of literature with its inquiries and expositions.

So, pick up a book and go on an adventure and pick up some long-lasting life skills along the way!