8 Reasons Reading Is A Superpower!

By Rachel
Reading is a Superpower - Health Benefits of Reading

Book lovers have long held the notion that reading is good for you – ask any Book Geek and they’ll tell you reading is relaxing, fun, and educational, that they feel more empathetic and understanding as a result of the stories they’ve read, and that their horizons have been broadened, which is all great stuff, but now there’s scientific evidence to prove that reading actually IS a superpower 😉

1. Reading Improves Your Memory

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Not only is it proven that reading improves your memory, but researchers also believe that chapter books in particular encourage “deep reading”.

Unlike reading magazines and newspapers, reading a book (of any genre) forces your brain to think critically and make connections from one chapter to the next, as well as make connections to your real-life and the outside world. When you make these connections, so does your brain, literally forging new pathways. Over time, these networks promote quicker thinking, and may provide a greater defence against the effects of cognitive decline.

Of course, magazines, newspapers and online articles still have merit – reading anything that exposes you to new words, facts, and ideas will always have brain benefits, and new research indicates that a large vocabulary may lead to a more resilient mind by fuelling what scientists call “cognitive reserve”, which can help your brain cells find new mental pathways around areas that are damaged by conditions such as stroke, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.

2. Reading Reduces Your Stress Levels

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When you settle down with a good book, do you ever feel your stress melt away? Turns out there’s a scientific reason behind it. According to researchers at Mindlab International at the University of Sussex, reading for just six minutes can help reduce stress levels by up to 68%. 

According to Dr. Lewis, the person behind the study, “It really doesn’t matter what book you read, by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination.”

3. Reading Can Be Therapeutic

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There is evidence to support the idea that certain books can help you work through issues that you are having in a your own life, this is known as bibliotherapy. Re-reading is even more beneficial – according to consumer behaviour researcher Cristel Russell, re-reading is especially good because the practice of re-reading a book (or re-watching a movie or TV show) results in individuals trying to find new meaning in them.

4. Reading Makes You Smarter

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Recent findings suggest that children as young as six months old who read books with their parents several times per week show stronger literacy skills at age four, score higher on intelligence tests, and land better jobs as adults than non-readers. And it’s specifically books that have this impact – not magazines or newspapers.

5. Reading Increases Your Attention Span

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We live in a digital age with amazing things like the Internet, Netflix, and various forms of social media. However, all of these put demands on our attention, and with so many distractions, we have shorter attention spans than we used to.

According to neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield, reading can help improve your attention span. Stories have a beginning, middle, and an end, and reading helps your brain process details in sequence, which in turn helps you think more clearly and holds your attention for longer.

6. Reading Can Help You Live Longer

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In 2016, researchers at the Yale School of Public Health sifted through 12 years worth of data from the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Study (HRS), which tracks data regarding the health of over 3,600 men and women over the age of 50, and they made an interesting discovery – people who read books for as little as 30 minutes per day lived an average of 2 years longer than those who didn’t read at all.

Researchers in the UK have also found that reading in a book club can help you live longer, especially for people of retirement age. A book club helps you keep your social connections and makes you engage when you would otherwise be at risk of withdrawing, providing you with a good support system and an overall better quality of life.

7. Reading Can Make You More Empathetic

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A study in 2013 found that participants who read a chapter story showed a noticeable increase in empathy one week later, while news readers showed a decrease. Reading books, especially fiction, has been shown to increase empathy and emotional intelligence, while reading the news has the opposite effect – it actually desensitises us and makes us less empathetic.

Developing social skills such as empathy and emotional intelligence can lead to more positive human interaction, which in turn can lower stress levels – both of which are proven to help you live longer and healthier.

8. Reading Before Bed Can Help You Sleep

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Do you believe reading is your superpower? Do any of these reasons why reading is amazing ring true for you? Talk to me in the comments!

About Rachel

Avid reader & #bookblogger. Lover of all things business. A fan of drinks & dancing. Ever optimistic. Feminist.

25 Responses

    1. Rachel

      I wonder what kind of memory it helps though? Short term and long term memory are quite different, as well as remembering daily tasks and whatnot versus having a great memory for facts and interesting things. I have a pretty great memory though, so I can’t compare it to if I wasn’t a reader! R xx

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  5. Tabby

    The only one I don’t completely agree with is reducing stress. It depends on two things: 1) if the story is stressful and leaves cliffhangers, and 2) if I should be doing something else (like homework or cleaning) but I’m reading instead because… books.

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    1. Rachel

      I was thinking that too – that if a book is really gripping it can create an adrenaline rush, which might seem anti-stress-relief, but actually that thrill and excitement still stops me feeling stressed out, because I’m so engrossed and happy that I’m loving it so much! R xx

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    I’ve always known my ability to read was a super power but always good to have that backed up. I’m not fully convinced all these points apply to me, I mean, I have a shocking memory, a short attention span, and I kind of suck at being nice to people sometimes But if science says I will improve these things I will do them. I mean, I already think I’m a genius and if I read more than the recommended amount to live longer does that mean I’ll live forever? That would be good because how else am I expected to conquer my TBR?

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  11. Beware Of The Reader

    Well yes I think reading is my superpower LOL. Stress relief ? Oh yes! Empathy? Check. Increased memory yes too. In fact yes to all!

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