Why You Need to Pick Up a Book Again

If you had to guess, how many minutes would you estimate that you read per day… from a book?

Leave in the comments how many minutes a day you tend to read.

Source: Social Squares, used with permission and purchase

According to Pew Research Center findings from 2018, 24 percent of the population hadn’t read a book in the past year. And for those that do read, the American Times Use Survey, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that Americans over the age of 15 spend just about 16 minutes a day reading for personal development.

However, one silver lining of the pandemic may be that we are reading more. In fact, in the past year, 35 percent of the population has been reading more than they have in previous years (Caplan, 2020). In fact, if you want to see a really amazing graphic of the world's reading habits in 2020, check it out here.

Even so, we tend to spend two hours and 24 minutes per day on social media (TechJury.com, 2020).

Interestingly, reading versus social media have very different outcomes when it comes to our mental health. While many believe their mood will improve after checking their social media, many report that their affect actually worsens following a social media scroll (Hunt, Marx, Lipson, & Young, 2018).

Yet, when people engage in reading, whether it’s for self-help or for fun, reading has been shown to reduce stress. In fact, just six minutes of reading a day can reduce stress levels (The Telegraph, 2009).

Here’s just a few ways that reading can benefit you:

1. Reading is a form of mindfulness.

Because we’re often multitasking (which puts a heavy cognitive load on our brains), we often experience greater brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. When you settle down into a book, you’re brought into the here and now where you can focus presently on the story.

The key is to stick with it. Especially if you’re not used to reading, it can feel really uncomfortable to lean in. However, tell yourself that you’re going to read at least 10 pages to start. Chances are, you’ll want to keep going by the time you hit page 10.

Source: Social Squares: used with permission and purchase

2. Reading can improve your emotional intelligence.

Citing Christensen’s article from CNN Health, she includes a quote from Keith Oatley, a cognitive psychology professor emeritus at the University of Toronto and an award-winning novelist. He stated, “People who read fiction may understand people better than others. A work of fiction is a piece of consciousness that can pass from one mind to another and that reader can make it their own.”

Thus, when we take the time to really listen to another perspective, we can build our empathy in a profound way. In fact, fiction may be an even more powerful way to do this than self-help at times as it really goes into deep character development and we have a better understanding of the “why” behind a character’s motives.

3. Reading has all kinds of cognitive benefits.

Not only has reading been shown to improve sleep, but readers are also shown to have improved concentration and demonstrate greater memory retention (Wilson et al, 2013). So if you’ve been feeling cloudy, reading may be the perfect thing to sharpen your ability to recall.

Even better is if you take a highlighter or pen to the lines that stand out to you. Write in the margins and include follow-up questions for yourself to build off of the text. This will help you deepen your critical thinking skills.

And one of the best parts about reading a good book? You can always pass it along to someone who will enjoy it next. Surprise them with a package in the mail (send it media mail for a cheaper rate) or drop it off on their doorstep. I frequently do this on my social media account where I offer to ship my read books to my community—I find that people love it! This is a great way to ensure that your books are bringing joy to others, rather than just gathering dust.