The mindful benefits of reading
It’s late October, which for much of the Northern Hemisphere means darker nights and daylight savings. With colder weather creeping in plus major holidays coming up in many cultures in November and December, it’s a perfect time to turn our attention to the age-old pleasure of reading.
Reading has been associated with a long list of physical and mental health benefits as well as helping us to be more empathetic and more considerate of other people’s experiences. Over and above this, reading helps us to make sense of the world around us and to develop our critical thinking skills. According to the BBC, reading fiction has been credited with everything from an increase in volunteering and charitable giving to improved voter participation, which means that far from being an introverted activity, reading can actually make us more engaged with the world and people around us.
At the same time, fewer and fewer people tend to read these days, with literacy levels stagnating or even declining in most OECD countries. To give just two examples from the English-speaking world, 23% of adults in the United States had not read any part of a book in over 12 months, while in the UK more than a third of adults say they have given up reading. So with all of the above in mind, why are fewer and fewer of us reading these days?
One major detriment to our collective reading ability is the smartphone, with people reading increasingly less from around the mid-2010s onwards when smartphones went mainstream. Nowadays, many of us struggle to maintain the focus required to read when we’re constantly plagued by repetitive, easily-digestible content that’s designed to trigger our emotions. Over and above this, many of us are likely to feel that we simply don’t have the time to read, which in many cases is understandable in the face of work and family commitments, side hustles, and the myriad other activities we spend our time on.
In this month’s mindfulness and wellbeing article we’ll be talking about why it’s still so important to find opportunities to read, and we’ll be sharing some tips on how to rekindle our love for the written word and incorporate reading into our daily lives.
First of all, while it may sound surprising, people who read more reportedly live longer even when controlled for other factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, and overall physical health. They are also likely to report reduced anxiety and negative emotions. Reading books in print is also associated with sleeping better and for longer, which will be familiar to anyone who remembers the pre-smartphone era of reading in bed.
Over and above this, reading is associated with a number of cognitive benefits including improved memory and attention span, more effective analytical thinking, and lower rates of cognitive decline as we progress through life. Reading also has positive effects on memory and cognitive consolidation, the process through which the brain turns short-term memories into long-term memories.
Thinking on a more collective level, reading has a range of social benefits. Reading gives us a window into other people’s existences while also giving voice to our own experiences and making us feel like we’re less alone. Even books that are written in different time periods or set in different places can remind us of how universal many human experiences are and can provide us with some comfort in the fact that other people have faced similar things. Meanwhile, the immersive nature of reading means that it can provide us with some momentary distraction from our own problems and allow us to come back at them with more of a sense of perspective.
Lastly, reading either fiction or non-fiction helps us to better give voice to our own experiences, to develop and refine arguments, and to express ourselves eloquently, which are all important skills, even (or perhaps especially) in an increasingly tech-driven world.
Having now outlined just a few of the many benefits of reading, we’ll now share some tips on how to get into the habit of reading, particularly if you haven’t read for a while or you struggle to maintain the habit.
Tip number one: Start small
Ever since smartphones changed the world forever, many of us have reported diminished attention spans and say that we struggle to maintain the sustained level of focus that is required to read reflectively. If you find it difficult to read for extended periods of time then try to ease yourself in by reading something that will hold your attention. Focus on reading anything at all rather than being too concerned about what’s trendy or cultural.
Tip number two: Avoid distractions
Try to distance yourself from anything that might break your concentration, particularly your phone. If it helps, try reading somewhere where you’re less likely to be distracted by other things around you, such as in the bath. If you feel daunted by the idea of sitting down and reading for an extended length of time, try to fit reading into limited, predefined time periods, such as while waiting for an appointment. Another top tip to maximise your chances of reading is to always carry a book with you wherever you go.
Tip number three: Seek out cheap ways of reading
Try looking for cheap second-hand paperbacks in thrift shops, since in addition to saving money you might encounter books that you wouldn’t have come across otherwise. If you have access to either a brick-and-mortar library or a digital library then you can borrow books for free, and it’s also worth looking for platforms like Project Gutenberg which provide free e-books with a focus on titles whose copyright has expired.
Tip number four: If you find something that you like then stick with it
It’s great to be adventurous when reading, but if you have a particular genre or chronological period that particularly appeals to you, there’s no harm in looking for similar things to read. User-generated communities such as GoodReads are often great places to go in search of inspiration and to bounce opinions off other readers. If you’re reading a work of fiction or non-fiction and a particular topic piques your curiosity, try to research that topic more widely so that your reading helps to inform your life experience and knowledge.
Tip number five: Lean into the community element of reading
It’s sometimes easier and more rewarding to read alongside other people, whether that means joining a book group or informally sharing opinions with friends. A lot of workplaces and universities have reading groups, or you could find one through looking for signs in libraries or cafés or joining online communities like MeetUp. If that’s not an option then reading or writing reviews online is a great way to share impressions and to help promote writers at the same time.
Tip number six: Stick at it!
Be persistent. Even if you feel you don’t have time or you have too many distractions, even a little bit of reading will go a long way and the more you read, the more you’ll want to read.
With that thought we conclude this month’s mindfulness and wellbeing tips on reading, but we’d love to hear your suggestions on how to build a regular reading habit or even just your recommendations on great books to read (in any language), so please don’t hesitate to drop your thoughts in the comments.
Stay mindful, and see you again for next month’s updates!
Sources
BBC Future
Does reading fiction make us better people?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20190523-does-reading-fiction-make-us-better-people
James Marriott
The dawn of the post-literate society
https://jmarriott.substack.com/p/the-dawn-of-the-post-literate-society-aa1
OECD
Adult skills in literacy and numeracy declining or stagnating in most OECD countries
Verywell Mind
7 Health Benefits of Reading Every Day
https://www.verywellhealth.com/benefits-of-reading-8723145
Verywell Mind
Can Reading Extend Your Life? Here’s What Science Says
https://www.verywellmind.com/can-reading-extend-your-life-11802660
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