Research has indicated that adopting a daily habit can offer numerous health advantages, including enhanced concentration and reduced stress.
For those who love to read, there’s good news as the pastime is linked with multiple benefits. Many people relish the idea of snuggling under a warm blanket with an engaging book and a lit scented candle, but for some, spending a day immersed in reading isn’t appealing, and they’d much prefer other activities.
Yet, studies have found that “30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga and humour did”. TikTok user Brandon Hakin, an enthusiastic reader, highlighted “three benefits of reading you might not know”, noting that they are “scientifically proven”.
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The first advantage he mentions is that it “makes your brain stronger”, with Brandon elaborating: “Researchers did resonance imaging scans, and the result showed that the more you read, the stronger the pathways in your brain become”.
This sentiment is echoed by Alzheimer’s Research UK, which confirmed: “Researchers in the US have found that keeping up reading, writing and playing games in later life could delay the onset of dementia by up to five years.”
His second benefit highlighted that reading boosts EQ, or emotional quotient. Emotional intelligence, Help Guide explains, “is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathise with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict”.
Brandon explained: “Reading immerses you in the story world, so you’re basically building relationships with the characters. This helps to build emotional intelligence and can help you handle more complex relationships.”
Backing this view, World Reader noted: “Reading supports children’s social-emotional development, boosting empathy and emotional intelligence. When we get children reading, we help them develop stronger self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making, which are crucial skills to lead a happy and successful life.”
Highlighting a third advantage of reading, Brandon pointed to an “increase in concentration” mentioning: “You might not be able to focus on more than a few chapters, but the more you read, the better you can focus.”
Echoing this sentiment, Step Up For Mental Health advised: “Mental Health Benefits of Reading Studies have shown that reading as little as 6 minutes per day can improve your quality of sleep, reduce stress, and sharpen mental acuity. Reading strengthens the neural circuits and pathways of our brain while lowering heart rate and blood pressure”.
So, that’s all you need to do – read for six minutes a day. And you can reap the benefits from it. Whether you prefer to read self-help books, romance, or fantasy, it really doesn’t matter. Try it, and see what it can do for you.