Alphabet Soup for the Soul: The Benefits of Reading

(Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes)

Reading. We all do it; whether it’s an assignment for a class, emails at work, or a fun escape while sipping on a cappuccino in a calm coffee shop. While you may think reading is used only for these things, have you ever stopped to think about whether or not it has benefits for your well-being in terms of physical health? Surprisingly enough, there are several ways reading can serve you in this manner. Below are some of the amazing things reading can do for you:

Reading promotes empathy and health

One interesting effect of reading a good quality story is that it can stir human empathy. One researcher duo, found that, through five different studies, those who read the genre of literary fiction had higher scoring in measurements over their ability to understand others. It’s thought that this may be due to the subtle nature of literary fiction, where readers have to imagine for themselves what the character may be going through. This sense of empathy, then, is carried over to be practiced in real life. [1]

The empathy stirred by reading surprisingly promotes good health. According to MRI scans, when one is invoked by empathy to give to others, it lights up the pleasure-related portion of the brain, thus putting the individual in a good mood.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons why empathy has a positive effect on mental health, with research showing that empathetic behavior helps lower risk of problems such as depression. Additionally, this lowers the other health issues that come with depression such as poor high cholesterol levels.[2]

Reading strengthens vocabulary and the mind

A common practice in the language and literature classroom is requesting students to do extensive reading as an off-campus assignment. Whereas intensive reading is done inside class, with the guidance of a teacher, and a focus on grammar and the like, extensive reading is done at home for the content itself; stories, articles, etc. Teachers believe that this helps in many ways, such as expanding vocabulary.[3] Reading to expand vocabulary isn’t just a hypothetical idea from language education though. It’s also confirmed by several studies. In one study, word exercise scores of almost 11,000 individuals were analyzed in relation to their reading habits. One of the findings showed that those who read for fun knew 26% more words than those who didn’t read at all.[4]

While vocabulary is good to learn for social life, work, and school, it can go beyond this and contribute to one’s well-being. For those learning new languages, learning more vocabulary helps to improve their fluency in their target language. And, surprisingly, this work towards fluency can help one to slow down possible Alzheimer’s later on in life! In a study conducted by researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, a meta-analysis was conducted in order to know whether or not Alzheimer’s developed slower in bilinguals as opposed to monolinguals. It was found that onset of Alzheimer’s was delayed by five years in bilingual people, compared to monolinguals. It is thought that this is due to bilingualism strengthening the circuits of the brain, which aid the body to ward off Alzheimer’s for some time.[5]

Reading lengthens life

While reading may give one a better quality of life, whether it be through lower depression or slowing Alzheimer’s, reading is known to generally lengthen one’s life in the long term. In a study conducted to see whether or not avid readers live longer, researchers found that 3.5 hours a week of reading is enough to extend one’s life. Based on surveys given to more than 3000 individuals, over a span of several years, it was noted that readers had a survival advantage consisting of 23 months, thus having a 20% reduction in mortality when compared to non-readers. In addition to this, the researchers noticed this effect was found amongst those who read books, rather than reading newspapers or magazines.[6]

Sources:

1. Chiaet, J. (2013, October 4). Novel Finding: Reading Literary Fiction Improves Empathy. Scientific American. Retrieved from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/novel-finding-reading-literary-fiction-improves-empathy/

2. Rush University. (n.d.) The Health Benefits of Giving. Rush University. Retrieved from: https://www.rush.edu/news/health-benefits-giving

3. Extensive Reading Central. (n.d.). What Is Extensive Reading? Extensive Reading Central. Retrieved from: https://www.er-central.com/contributors/learn-about-extensive-reading-and-listening/what-is-extensive-reading/

4. Sullivan, A., Moulton, V., & Fitzsimons, E. (2021). The intergenerational transmission of language skill. The British journal of sociology, 72(2), 207–232.

5. LAS News. (2021, January 28). Study shows learning a second language thwarts onset of dementia. Iowa State University. Retrieved from: https://news.las.iastate.edu/2021/01/28/study-shows-learning-a-second-language-thwarts-onset-of-dementia/

6. Bavishi, A., Slade, M. D., & Levy, B. R. (2016). A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity. Social science & medicine (1982), 164, 44–48.

Article by: Jonathan A. Watson