Reading strengthens the brain and changes the mind. MRI scans used in studies have shown that reading engages complex brain signals and circuit networks. The networks strengthen and become more complex as you mature in your reading ability.

Brain areas light up during reading activities. Somatosensory cortex, a section of the brain responsible for responding to pain and movement sensations, increase in connectivity during reading.

Children and their parents or guardians should find time to read together. Cleveland Clinic doctors recommend that the shared reading sessions should begin from infancy through elementary schooling.

When you read with your kids, they develop happy and warm associations with books. They also develop a positive attitude towards reading, increasing their potential to continue reading and enjoy it into the future.

Reading at home is linked to better performance at school in later years. It also boosts self-esteem, increases vocabulary, strengthens the human brain’s engine of prediction, and builds good communication skills.

Book reading also improves your empathic ability. Literary fiction helps understand the beliefs and abilities of others because such stories explore characters’ inner lives. This set of skills for navigating, developing, and maintaining social relationships is referred to as the “theory of mind.”

Long term reading of literary fiction is what develops your theory of mind, but not just a one-time reading session.

Reading also builds vocabulary. The Matthew effect – linked to Matthew 13:12 biblical verse, has been the discussion of many reading researchers. The verse states that “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

This effect shows that the poor get poorer and the rich become richer. This concept doesn’t just apply to money, but also vocabulary. Regular reading from a young age gradually builds large vocabularies.

And, knowledge of a large vocabulary, impacts various aspects of life, ranging from college admissions to standardized test scores to job opportunities. People with soft skills such as good communication skills, according to a 2019 poll, are more likely to get hired for jobs.

Reading exposes you to new words that you learn in context of stories or narratives.

Adults who began reading regularly from a young age experience lower risk of developing age-related cognitive decline. Reading books and magazines engages the mind into old age. Daily reading and working out math problems can maintain and enhance cognitive functioning in older persons.

It also lowers the risk of people diagnosed with dementia developing lesions, plaques and tau-protein tangles.

Reading your favorite books regularly also reduces stress. Studies show that reading, humor and yoga lower stress levels in students taking demanding programs in college such as health sciences.

Just like humor and yoga, a reading session of 30 minutes only can lowers heart rate, blood pressure and psychological distress feelings.

Reading also prepares people for a good night’s sleep, removes symptoms of depression, and increases lifespan to help you live longer. At Lanier Library, you have access to lots of books for you or your kids to enjoy reading on the go. Make sure that your home is reading friendly.