The Art Of Reading: Why Books Are Life-Changing
Introduction
The art of reading is priceless. How many of you can visualise the images in your mind of the book that you are reading? A true book lover can. In this digital age, it is heartening to see readers flocking to book exhibitions and book stores to satisfy their reading appetite. To some, reading requires a lot of effort, while to others, it is effortless. Reading has myriad benefits and is a life changer.
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”
Benefits of reading
- Intellectual quotient: Reading is beneficial for improving our intellectual quotient. It is like an exercise for our brain/intellect. Research carried out by the Haskins Laboratories shows that when we read, those parts of our brain which are associated with sight, language and learning to connect, are activated, which challenges our brain and us, cites Ken Pugh, PhD, president and head of research of Haskins Laboratories. Thereby making us intellectually stronger.
- Increase of empathy: Reading makes us empathise with the characters and incidents that we are reading about. It helps us understand the characters and their emotions better, thereby our interpersonal relationships thrive.
- Vocabulary: Reading from an early age gradually builds up our vocabulary. This is an important aspect of communication that proves beneficial in the long run, as it assists us in our careers. Learning new words is so interesting. You must be aware of ‘Tharoor-isms ‘– words and phrases used by Dr. Shashi Tharoor that we have rarely heard, and some are a mouthful 😊
- Manages cognition: Reading helps us manage our cognitive functions over time. As we age, we need to constantly challenge our brains to prevent age-related ailments. Reading is one such way in which we can naturally engage our brains in activity.
- Reduces stress: Reading can reduce stress levels. A study carried out by the University of Sussex in 2009 has shown that reading for 6 minutes daily reduces our stress by up to 68 %. When we read, we are lost in the imaginary world of words, and we forget all our worries for some time.
- Improves health: Reading helps to improve our health, too. Research carried out shows that if we read for 30 minutes, there is a definite decrease in our blood pressure, heart rate and psychological stress. It can reduce the probability of developing Alzheimer’s disease, lower the risk of dementia, and keep us healthy.
- Better sleep: Reading a few pages before bedtime de-stresses our brain, making us calmer and our body signals that it is ready to sleep. This has been advised by sleep experts. Mind you, this is about real books, not the digital device versions!
- Reduces depression: Reading is a type of psychotherapy, also known as library therapy, which is therapeutic and recommended by psychotherapists. They state that certain instruction combined with reading self-help books is shown to reduce depressive symptoms. Research published in 2013 by the University of Manchester shows that people with severe depression can benefit from reading self-help books or interactive web activity pages.
- Creativity boost: Reading makes us hone our creativity. Reading different books teaches us about different writing forms and, who knows, we may end up being a successful writer ourselves!
- Success: Reading leads to success. People like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Elon Musk are examples of avid readers who have achieved success. Reading improves our thinking and problem-solving abilities, thereby improving our general knowledge and developing our communicative and social skills.
- Reduces loneliness: Reading, either alone or in book groups, reduces loneliness. Reading in a group involves debate and analysis of the book, thereby increasing our knowledge and reducing our loneliness.
- Inexpensive: Reading is not an extravagance. It is easy to procure books either from a lending library or book bookstore. It is a one-time investment, and you can re-read your books at any time in life. True book lovers have a stash of books that they read and re-read over time, without getting bored.
- Encourage reading: Reading makes us want to encourage others to read as well. We find it so pleasing and thrilling that we want to share this enriching experience with others. We can share our books with other book lovers and vice versa. The more, the merrier.
- Educational: Reading is educational. Not only does it improve our concentration and focus, but it also improves our literacy, is motivational and increases our general knowledge. Reading motivational books teaches us to stay positive in any situation.
Recommendations
The following are the books recommended by noted celebrities. Bill Gates recommends the following books
“I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid. And I think a great deal of that grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot”
- The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- Brave New Words by Salman Khan
- Surrender by Bono (lead singer of the band U2)
Books recommended by Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
- Bobby Kennedy by Larry Tye
- The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas K. Gandhi
Classics for light reading
- Three Men in a boat by Jerome K. Jerome
- Catch-22 by Joseph heller
- The Importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
- The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
Books for brain power
- Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
- Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley
- Your Memory ; How it works and how to improve it by Kenneth L. Highbee
Who can forget the authors/books/characters that were a part of our growing up years
- The Famous Five/ The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton
- Nancy Drew; The Hardy Boys
- Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple
- Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- James Hadley Chase’s book series
- Amar Chitra Katha – picture books about the history and culture of India
- Reader’s Digest – a compilation of stories on various topics
“ A book is a gift you can open again and again”
Books, whether paperback or hard-bound, do not require charging like digital apps or digital devices. There is no blue screen to harm your eyes. The feel, the texture, the printed letters, and the smell of books are indescribable. It is a feeling to be experienced.
With the advent of technology, for those who find reading boring, there are audiobooks. But nothing can beat actual books of paper. Any book lover will tell you that.
Reading is a life changer. We can find solutions to our problems, unwind, relax, and just be with ourselves. It can improve our lives personally and professionally. It is the best way to improve ourselves. Motivational books make us evolve as human beings; Fiction books take us to an imaginary world; Non-fiction books teach us about life and how to deal with it; Philosophical books teach us to navigate our life and the lessons we can learn from it; Romantic books make us feel loved; Funny books make us laugh; Each category of books teaches us something. That is why books are enriching.
Sadly, the art of reading is reducing, but all is not lost. There are so many evolving writers and a vast array of topics to choose from. In school, we had a library class, which encouraged the entire class to read a book and then discuss it. Such a wonderful experience. Schools encouraging their students to read is half the battle won. It will benefit the children immensely, as we have seen above.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one”
The feeling of curling up on the sofa with a book is the best thing ever. Try it!
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book"
