Many people’s daily reading focuses on Facebook, tweets, or Instagram’s rapidly changing photos. Not only does this overstimulate our brains, it may lead to unhappiness, anxiety, depression, higher spending, and short-term memory loss, as researchers from the Royal Institute of Technology point out.
Reading has many health benefits!
- Mental Stimulation: Studies show that staying mentally stimulated can slow down the process of dementia or Alzheimer’s by keeping your brain active and engaged. In addition to reading, thinking games like chess, cards, or crosswords or puzzles also stimulates the brain.
- Knowledge: Reading provides new information stored in our brains. Nobody can ever take this from us. Knowledge is power, providing increased abilities to tackle different challenges in life.
- Improved vocabulary and writing skills: When interviewing new staff at Caring Medical, you can tell readers from non-readers. The more you read, the more word exposure, enhancing your ability to articulate verbally and in writing. This not only helps with self-esteem but contributes to better job performance.
- Stress reduction: There is no better stress reducer than losing yourself in a great book, stimulating the imagination, reducing tension, and allowing relaxation and not thinking about the present.
- Improved thinking skills: Books with intricate plots increase our critical and analytical thinking skills by challenging us to figure things out. Discussing books with others also allows you to think more deeply about the book’s meaning.
- Enhance concentration, attention, and memory: ADD-like behavior is rampant in our society and people have difficulty focusing on one topic or even holding conversations. Reading books focuses our attention on the story, immersing ourselves into book details, allowing us to improve our focus and concentration, not to mention our memory as we must remember the details of the characters and plot.
- Low cost entertainment: Our Sanibel Public Library has books available to check out or borrow online – something for everyone! Amazon also offers free kindle books that can be downloaded. Or you can exchange books with your friends – pass them along!
Step away from your devices, open a book, and replenish your brain and soul!