At the Library 1/20/22

At the Library
by Meredith Madison

Wide-Arrayed Reasons to Begin Reading Today

            The benefits of reading are wide arrayed, but often quickly forgotten in our busy lives. Our demanding daily schedules and distractions such as social media and other forms of entertainment often overshadow the importance of reading. However, since there are many reasons why each one of us should be reading more in our everyday lives, it’s important to be reminded of its benefits. Here are just a few reasons why reading is vitally important and why it should be utilized more. 

            First, by reading daily we can exercise our brain and gain knowledge! 

" Research has confirmed that reading stimulates a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. Plus, as you improve your reading ability, these networks become stronger and more sophisticated.” (oberlo.com) As we read, our brains gain knowledge and pieces of information to helps us to learn more about ourselves and others as well! Brain and knowledge base enhancement are one of the many reasons why reading is of paramount importance.

            Reading can also help us to connect with each other by bringing us together through group reading. When we read together in a group and discuss what we are reading, we can share our unique ideas and thoughts about our connections with the characters and storylines. Books don’t just give us enjoyment, they add depth and meaning to our lives by their relatability. By joining book clubs and book discussion groups, we can share our thoughts and personal connections to a book with others. This creates community, laughter, and joy.

            Lastly, reading can increase our ability to empathize with others. "Reseach has shown that long-term fiction readers tend to develop a better "theory of mind" – the term used to describe our capacity for empathy and ability to understand others.” (oberlo.com) By reading and experiencing other characters’ lives and storylines, we learn how to empathize and understand deep emotions with eloquence. This, in turn, increases our innate abilities to understand those who surround us with a deeper perspective and point of view. When we begin to see lives beyond our own, we can find a deep connection unlike any other we have experienced before. 

            As you can see from the benefits of daily reading, diving into a good book can grow our brain and knowledge base, bring us together, and to teach us the importance of empathy. There are many more reasons why we should all be reading daily! Our local libraries are places where the importance of reading has not been forgotten. They can encourage us to rekindle a daily reading habit and give us the community we long to have. Libraries offer so much to us if we would simply look for it. I hope this finds you well, and I hope that you visit our wonderful library to unlock the many benefits of reading! 


Sources cited: https://www.oberlo.com/blog/benefits-of-reading-books