ADVANTAGES OF READING 1.

Mental Stimulation Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimers and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase use it or lose it is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.

RECOMMEND FOR YOU 101 Top Picks to Read This Summer 253 SHARES 2. Stress Reduction No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A wellwritten novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax. 3. Knowledge Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge youll ever face. Additionally, heres a bit of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything elseyour job, your possessions, your money, even your healthknowledge can never be taken from you. 4. Vocabulary Expansion This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and theyll inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with self1

confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could even aid in your career, as those who are well-read, well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more quickly (and more often) than those with smaller vocabularies and lack of awareness of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events. Reading books is also vital for learning new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency. 5. Memory Improvement When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. Thats a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can remember these things with relative ease. Amazingly enough, every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which assists in shortterm memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that? 6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills Have you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the mystery yourself before finishing the book? If so, you were able to put critical and analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the details provided and sorting them out to determine whodunnit. That same ability to analyze details also comes in handy when it comes to critiquing the plot; determining whether it was a well-written piece, if the characters were properly developed, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc. Should you ever have an opportunity to discuss the book with others, youll be able to state your opinions clearly, as youve taken the time to really consider all the aspects involved. 7. Improved Focus and Concentration In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single 5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour causes stress levels to rise, and lowers our productivity. When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the storythe rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail youre absorbing. Try reading for 15-20 minutes before work (i.e. on your morning commute, if you take public transit), and youll be surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the office. 8. Better Writing Skills

This goes hand-in-hand with the expansion of your vocabulary: exposure to published, wellwritten work has a noted effect on ones own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will invariably influence your own work. In the same way that musicians influence one another, and painters use techniques established by previous masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the works of others. 9. Tranquility In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good book, its possible that the subject you read about can bring about immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm, while reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses. 10. Free Entertainment Though many of us like to buy books so we can annotate them and dog-ear pages for future reference, they can be quite pricey. For low-budget entertainment, you can visit your local library and bask in the glory of the countless tomes available there for free. Libraries have books on every subject imaginable, and since they rotate their stock and constantly get new books, youll never run out of reading materials. If you happen to live in an area that doesnt have a local library, or if youre mobility-impaired and cant get to one easily, most libraries have their books available in PDF or ePub format so you can read them on your e-reader, iPad, or your computer screen. There are also many sources onlinewhere you can download free e-books, so go hunting for something new to read! Theres a reading genre for every literate person on the planet, and whether your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines, biographies, religious texts, young adult books, self-help guides, street lit, or romance novels, theres something out there to capture your curiosity and imagination. Step away from your computer for a little while, crack open a book, and replenish your soul for a little while.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ..

Book lovers are a dying breed today due to the emergence of television, movies, and the Internet. In todays fast paced world, people consider spending time reading a book to be expendable and are rather willing to spend that time watching a two hour long movie. What people dont realize is that movies and television paint the picture for us, while books allow us to imagine our own 'movies'. This is the reason why many believe the creative talent of todays youth is fading, because while movies and television are highly entertaining and informative, books exercise the creative part of our brain by allowing us to form a picture from words on a page inside our heads. In a time where the worlds population is increasingly consumed by technological advances, it is vital that humans read constantly for the sake of obtaining the many benefits attained from reading books.

1. Expand Vocabulary Experts advise people, and most importantly students, to indulge in at least half an hour of reading a day to expose themselves to numerous styles of writing and to learn new vocabulary. An improved vocabulary is the most obvious outcome of a strongly established habit of reading because [w]hile reading books, especially challenging ones, you will find yourself exposed to many new words you wouldnt be otherwise. (Isaac). The editor at PicktheBrain.com claims that when reading the classics, one comes across words that are no longer commonly used; he states that [h]aving a bigger vocabulary is like having a tool box with more tools. A larger arsenal of words enables one to express themself more eloquently. (10 Ways to Improve). The way this works is that by reading out loud at a young age, we become exposed to proper grammar and pronunciation and while looking at the words, our minds are able to both comprehend and store the information. When reading, [e]ven when [we may not] understand every new word, [we] absorb something from the context that may deepen [our] understanding of it the next time the word is encountered. (Freedman-De Vito). Our brains work similar to a sponge, they soak up every bit of knowledge we encounter and store it for future use.

2. Boost Creativity Reading fiction books increase the creativity in the brain, especially at a young age. This is beneficial because creative people are able to solve business problems, write books and music, and create scientific advances that can aid humanity. Childrens literature author Conrad Bloomberg is a high believer that reading is vital for children to develop creativity and imagination. He states, Most parents intuitively know that creativity is valuable, but they may not know an easy way to enhance this ability in their children. Science has now validated that reading aloud for only 30 minutes a dayand doing this with consistencyis one way to reach this goal. (An Easy and Scientific). But perhaps the strongest recommendation comes from pediatricians who validate the same idea, claiming that children who do not read 30 minutes a day are unhealthy. Bloomberg himself specializes in books tailored to this need, and claims that reading aloud works especially well, I call it the Theater of the Mind., he says, Every time I read a chapter, I ask my listeners if they could see a picture in their mind about what I was reading. Ive found that virtually everyone hearing the chapter creates a mental movie. (An Easy and Scientific). But imagination is not only about picturing words spoken aloud come to life in ones head, imagination is being able to see what you imagine (Hall), and this entails more than just what can be physically visible. As the writer of the article Reading Fuels Imagination, Winston Hall writes, In the past I used my imagination to picture barnyard animals and Dr. Seuss characters. Suddenly I was using my imagination to feel sadness, sympathy, happiness and excitement for the characters. (Hall). Through imagination one can picture more than what can be reality but also what is reality, one can envision the perceptible emotions a fictional character experiences. 3. Improve Writing Skills As previously stated, an improved vocabulary and increase of creativity and imagination are direct results of an established habit of reading; these benefits together create a third benefit of reading books. With the aid of an increased vocabulary and imagination, a writer has a better chance at creating an acceptable, if not excellent, piece of written work. All successful writers will declare that in order to succeed as a writer, one needs to read, every day. The editor at Pickthebrain.com

explains that [w]hile reading you unconsciously absorb the grammar and style of the author.Great authors have a tendency to take over your mind. After reading, Ive observed that my thoughts begin to mirror the writers style. (10 Ways to Improve). This influence carries over to writing, helping form clear, rhythmic sentences. Books have the power to influence people, often for short lengths of time; even so, a writers style of writing can easily be carried out onto a readers own style of writing. This causes the reader to develop a fusion of their own style and an authors style of writing, if only for a short time.

4. Enhance Memory Memory and reading are in close interaction with one another, reading significantly helps improve memory at a young age in life and later on in ones older years. Poor long-term memory can cause difficulties with reading or reading comprehension. Reading books helps you stretch your memory muscles.[because] it requires you remembering details, facts and figures in literature, plot lines, themes, and characters. (Isaac). As one writer posted in a segment titled 8 Benefits of Reading on lifedev.net, Ive been finding that I can remember stuff much easier when Ive been reading consistently. (Stansberry). When one reaches a certain age where they no longer have a long-term memory, it becomes exceedingly difficult to successfully read an entire book. This is due to the fact that with poor long-term memory, the reader often does not remember which lines he or she has already read and may find they repeatedly read the same line or page on a book. 5. Develop Analytical Thinking It is recognized that those who take an active involvement in reading have higher GPAs, higher intelligence, and general knowledge than those [who] dont. (Stansberry). Reading is an indulgence that enhances our knowledge by making us use our brain and causing us to think more and therefore enhancing our intelligence. Since books help improve both memory and concentration, one can say that reading makes it easier to study a subject and retain the knowledge received from the subject, thus directly making someone more knowledgeable. Dr. Anne E. Cunningham, of the University of California Berkeley, has shown through studies that reading enhances analytical thinking, Readers improve their general knowledge, and more importantly are able to spot patterns quicker. (Stansberry). If one can spot patterns at a faster rate, then analytical skills are enhanced by speed. Books are used nearly every day in schools to teach difficult subjects, there is a reason why schools of all grades assign a variety of textbooks. This is because books hold a variety of information within their pages, of all subjects. Brian Tracy, a self-help author, has said that one way to become an expert in your chosen field is to read 100 books on the subject. (Isaac). To some, this may seem preposterous but the matter of fact is that different authors know different kinds of knowledge, and by exposing oneself to a large variety of books and absorbing their information with understanding, one can easily become an expert in a chosen subject.