Functional Health Boost: How Reading Can Enhance Your Mental and Emotional Well-Being
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With screens taking over and digital distractions at every turn, it's concerning to see that American adults are picking up fewer books these days. A Gallup poll highlights a noticeable dip in the number of books read annually, with adults now averaging only 12.6 books a year—a drop from past figures. This trend hits especially hard among college graduates, women, and the older population, showing a significant change in reading habits that might impact our deep thinking and engagement.
Despite this trend, the science is clear: reading is one of the best things you can do for your cognitive and emotional health. Understanding the functional health benefits of reading might just be the thing to get you back into it. Let's delve into the multifaceted advantages that reading offers for personal development and well-being.
Reading Enhances Empathy and Connection
Getting lost in a book, termed as "transportation," offers numerous benefits including increased empathy, creativity, and serves as a form of escape, according to scientific research. But reading, and reading fiction in particular, isn't just about escapism; it's a journey into empathy and self-discovery. Reading makes us think and feel in new and different ways, explains Keith Oatley, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development at the University of Toronto.
“You give up some of your own habits and thoughts, and you take on your own idea of being a different person in circumstances that you might otherwise never have been in,” Oatley says. Research backs this up. Back in 2009, Oatley and his colleagues found that after reading one of two different versions of the same story—one an original piece of fiction and the other a retelling of the same story written in a nonfiction style—participants who read fiction changed in their personality traits more than those who read the non-fiction version of the story, and reported feeling higher levels of emotions. This suggests that fiction has a unique ability to elicit emotional responses and promote personal growth.
Research shows that engaging with the inner lives of characters fosters understanding of others’ experiences, which in turn, expands our social skills and emotional intelligence in the real world. Experts call this ability the “theory of mind,” a set of skills essential for building, navigating, and maintaining social relationships. Data suggests the same area of the brain actually gets fired up when people read and comprehend fictional stories, as gets activated when we’re in the process of understanding other people.
Oatley explains it this way: Think of learning how to fly an airplane by using a flight simulator in addition to flying an actual plane. You get to encounter a lot of different scenarios where you’re completely safe, but you can learn a lot about what to do in an emergency, unusual weather conditions, and more.
“Fiction is the mind’s flight simulator,” Oatley says.
Reading Sharpens Cognitive Health
Beyond its emotional and social benefits, reading actively stimulates neural networks in the brain, potentially contributing to cognitive longevity. Those neural networks are typically associated with social cognition and abstract conceptual processing. Activating and " exercising” those pathways has been shown to reduce mental declines associated with aging, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease.
"Reading, by engaging the brain, may keep the brain active enough to prevent cognitive decline that is associated with a variety of diseases associated with earlier mortality,” says Avni Bavishi, an M.D. candidate at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
What’s more, reading has been proven to mimic real social interactions, fulfilling the innate human need for belongingness. It can actually satisfy the need for human connection. In a University at Buffalo study, a group of 140 undergraduate students were asked to read either “Twilight” or “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” for a half-hour. Afterward, the students reported (psychologically speaking) becoming part of the characters’ worlds during that time and having some of the same feelings of satisfaction and happiness that we get from social interactions. In this way, reading has become a tool to combat loneliness and depression across age groups.
Reading Books Boosts Your Mood
Studies have shown that reading for just six minutes can significantly reduce stress levels, promoting relaxation and mental well-being. Moreover, research suggests that the act of getting lost in a book provides a healthy escape from daily stressors, helping manage mood and providing mental relief. Experts say reading is one of the best ways to wind down before bed and disconnect from stimulating blue light.
However, it's important to be mindful of the content we consume, as negative or stressful narratives can have adverse effects on our mental health, says Angela Buttimer, MS, NCC, RYT, LPC, a facilitator at Thomas F. Chapman Family Cancer Wellness at Piedmont. “Reading stressful content can activate mirror neurons in our brains, interpreting it as if it's happening to us,” she says. Thus, Buttimer, who promotes reading as a wellness tool for cancer patients, recommends selecting books that align with our emotional well-being is crucial for maximizing the stress-relieving benefits of reading.
Conclusion
The therapeutic value of reading cannot be overstated, yet it takes effort to choose a book over the many other entertainment options we have available to us today. Scott Young, entrepreneur, and author, highlights the dual nature of reading as both a skill and a habit. “As an acquired skill, reading is initially effortful but becomes easier as we become fluent, recognizing words and building background knowledge of the matters discussed,” he says. “As a habit, reading is something we choose to do (or not) in our moments of downtime."
From enhancing empathy and social skills to promoting cognitive stimulation and stress reduction, reading serves as a cornerstone of personal development and well-being. As we navigate the digital age, cultivating a habit of reading not only enriches our lives but also nurtures our minds for a healthier and more fulfilling future. The act of reading opens doors to new perspectives, insights, and opportunities for growth.
Sources
Journal of Research in Personality
American Psychological Association
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