Reading books is one of my favorite activities. Every time I start a book, I get excited. It’s like I’m just starting a new journey that will bring something wonderful into my life.
When I was in high school, I would stay up all night, because I couldn’t put down the book I was reading. It happened way too many times that I was late for school. And we had classes in the afternoon, starting at 1 or 2 pm. 😂
I read because I genuinely love the process. I started with reading the mandatory lecture list of classics in school and moved on to sweet and easy romance novels, horror novels, fantasy and historical fiction.
My library card was my cherished possession and I would spend a lot of time there just walking around the shelves, finding a new reading experience to dive into.
Me, roaming around The Last Bookstore a few years ago
Over time, I’ve found so many benefits to reading. I definitely wouldn’t be writing this article if I hadn’t read that much. I wouldn’t think the way I do today and I wouldn’t have learned so many things if I hadn’t spent a lot of my free time reading.
I read a lot. In fact, we all do. We read emails, articles, social media captions, messages. Nothing compares to reading a book, though.
A book is like a Universe that opens up in front of my eyes and I can explore it. I can’t say how many times I was blown away at what I discovered in some books.
In the age of distraction and information overload, reading books is my coping mechanism. Because it’s something I generally do on my own, my introvert self really loves that.
I get to stop and ponder over an expression or an idea for as long as I need. Not to mention that I get to stay away from the overwhelming busyness of the world and immerse myself in the warm embrace of a topic I’m interested in or the mind of an author I truly admire.
I could go on and on about the magic books have brought into my life. My relationship with books is definitely a lifelong romance.
But let’s look into how exactly reading books makes you a better person.
Here are 5 things you gain when reading books:
1. You open your mind
We live in such a divided world right now. Besides the shaming patterns that are deeply ingrained in the structures of society, our perceived dangers and fears add up to the mix. We’re so quick to judge and shame people for their beliefs, actions and choices around the issues we’re dealing with.
It’s a very slippery slope from this to judging and shaming them about everything else that is different from our perspective. Reading books is a powerful tool to escape the vicious cycle of judgement and shame.
When we read about certain topics, we gain a wider understanding of things. The better we understand things, the less we are affected by the triggers that make us judge and separate ourselves from others.
We open our minds to the possibility of things being much more complex than we’d assumed. We get to see another perspective on a subject that we thought we understood already. We really expand our mind and worldview.
Even this sweet kitty agrees.
2. You learn new information that you can apply to improve your life
You can learn and grow through a variety of ways. There is no scarcity of videos, webinars, courses and seminars that teach you life skills. I use them all myself.
The reason why books are my favorite is the opportunity to go really deep into the mind of the author and into exploring a specific topic.
For the past few years, I’ve been reading with purpose. As much as I love reading just for the sake of reading, I also love learning and growing, which makes self-help books the perfect fit for me. I get to expand my awareness, my knowledge and use what I read to improve myself.
Non-fiction books have taught me several tools and methods to make small, but significant changes in every area of my life.
How I spend my flights
3. You communicate more effectively
Reading upgrades your language skills, which helps you express your thoughts and feelings more accurately. That makes you a better communicator and improves every relationship in your life.
It happens to me many times that I read about a concept in a book that explains an experience that I’ve lived. It’s so liberating to find the words to express our internal world to other people. And it’s what sparks a long-lasting connection that’s based on communication and understanding.
If we have the words to express more accurately what’s happening within us, we do our part to create a better, kinder world. Think of it like this: being able to express our anger through words rather than punching the wall or someone else is a much more constructive way of handling the emotion and strengthening the relationship.
Reading has also helped me communicate more effectively in foreign languages. I get to learn new words and get familiar with expressions and sentence structures. As you may know, English is not my first language, but I speak and write well enough, mostly because I read a ton of books in English.
4. You have more interesting conversations
When I was in high school, one of my dear teachers used to say: ‘Read, guys, read a lot! That’s what you will be talking about.’ She was so right!
We think the same thoughts over and over. If you start writing or journaling, you’ll realize that you use the same expressions, words, phrases, ideas over and over. Reading gives you the opportunity to enrich your vocabulary and hold new concepts and ideas, new forms of thought.
I often have such amazing conversations with people, because we start talking about some notion I read in a book. We start debating its application and implications in our lives and in the world. We really train our brains to switch topics, connect ideas and maintain interesting conversations.
A cozy reading corner
5. You get healthier
I know, the previous 4 things make sense, but this one sounds pretty far-fetched. Yet reading books is a more active way of engaging the brain than watching a video, for example.
You could say that reading is a workout for the brain. Just as important as exercising to keep our body active, is keeping our mind active. Reading helps us train our brains to focus and stimulates certain brain areas responsible for decision making, memory and processing emotions.
There is more and more research coming out about the mind-body connection, so the more you take care of your brain, the healthier you are overall.
Additionally, there are studies showing that reading reduces our stress levels. Less stress = more health. Besides reducing stress, reading helps us fall asleep and sleep better, as well. And we all know how important sleep is for our general health.
Reading is also linked to slowing down the brain aging process and conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s. Moreover, there seems to be improvement in symptoms of anxiety and depression through reading. All great things for our mental health are wins in our overall health.
If you want to look further into the impact of reading, this cute infographic cites some studies that show the benefits of reading books for our health and wellbeing.
I believe it is safe to say that a healthy, open-minded person who communicates well, starts interesting conversations and actively works on improving their life is a better person, right? So, let’s get reading, people! It’s great for ourselves and for everyone around us.
In the resources section of the website, you can find the books that have really shifted my life experience. Up to this point, I have read hundreds of books and the ones on this bookshelf are the ones that really moved me. They either touched my soul in a special way or expanded my mind to unimaginable degree.
If you’re looking for inspiration to read your next book, check out my bookshelf. And if there is something specific you’re trying to accomplish, feel free to reach out. Maybe I can recommend a great book to help you.
How did you become a better person through reading books? What are the books that have had a real impact in your life?
You already know I love reading, so I’ll definitely enjoy reading your comments.
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