While reading is generally associated with a relaxing way to disconnect from our everyday lives, what many forget the moment they finish studying is that books can be more than just entertaining. Non-fiction books in particular can be extremely efficient learning tools and there is a lot of knowledge you can earn if you dedicate some of your time to reading non-fiction instead of novels.
The benefits of reading non-fiction actually go way beyond the actual information you are gaining, as it has a couple of very important effects on the way we think and how our brain works.
The Basmo team is dedicated to turning you into the ultimate reader, so we encourage you to read everything that brings you pleasure and benefits. That is why we sat down to find out exactly how important it is to mix fiction and non-fiction in your reading activity.
Why is non-fiction important?
Non-fiction is a genre based on facts instead of imaginary events. It includes a plethora of subgenres like history, philosophy, biographies, self-help, science, business, and many others.
The importance of non-fiction becomes pretty obvious just by reading the subgenres, doesn’t it? Non-fiction is actually essential for our education, acquiring knowledge, and developing healthy, high-functioning brains.
Non-fiction books are sometimes our only eyewitnesses to events from the past. A lot of our history has been documented in books written by that time’s authors to tell the stories of the events that changed our world hundreds of years ago. Learning a new skill or how to overcome issues that affect our lives, getting in-depth information about the things we care about and a lot more can be done in a very efficient way by simply reading non-fiction books.
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What are the benefits of reading non-fiction books?
There are many reasons why reading non-fiction can provide you with a series of very important benefits and we will explore the most relevant ones below.
Improves general knowledge
The most obvious benefit you will enjoy if you’re going to include non-fiction into your reading habits is the fact that your general knowledge is going to be significantly improved. Whether you’re reading autobiographies, science, or history books, one thing is certain: you will gain relevant, factual information.
The more you read, the more you know. That is true regardless of the non-fiction subgenre you are choosing. Non-fiction actually teaches you facts, and provides you with factual data, and almost tangible knowledge.
Understanding our past
One of the most important roles non-fiction plays in our education is the fact that it teaches us about our past. Learning and understanding our history would be close to impossible without books that were written particularly to present the important events of past times.
A lot of what we know about our ancestors, the wars they fought, and the events that changed the course of history to bring us to our current situation comes from non-fiction books. So, one of the most frequent answers to the question “why do we read nonfiction?” is exactly this: to learn about who we are and how we got to this point in history.
Develops analytical thinking
One amazing effect of reading non-fiction is how it teaches us to think critically and analytically. More precisely, it pushes our brains to learn how to synthesize information, how to extract relevant data, and how to use it efficiently whenever we need it.
The fact that non-fiction is a source of information and facilitates learning is hugely beneficial for your brain. Non-fiction books should definitely be an important part of your reading habits and they will play an important way in how your brain develops and stays in good shape.
Improves comprehension abilities
Non-fiction promotes learning and constantly exposes you to factual information, and new concepts, and forces you to put the work into understanding what you are reading. Unlike fiction, where you can let your mind drift off from time to time without losing any integral piece of information, non-fiction books cannot be read without dedicating your full attention.
Comprehension, as you already know, is extremely important in our reading habits. Non-fiction is king when it comes to improving our levels of understanding, our ability to grasp new concepts, and retain the information we read. To put things in perspective, it’s a well-known fact that our brain works like a muscle to a certain extent. The more you exercise it, the better its performance is going to be.
Reading is a great fitness regime for our brains. The difference between fiction and non-fiction could be described as the difference between a cardio workout and lifting weights. Fiction keeps your brain in shape the same way cardio keeps your body healthy and agile, but non-fiction develops your mind the same way weightlifting strengthens your muscles.
It teaches you life lessons
Yes, fiction books present you with the opportunity to learn a lot of life lessons without any real effort. You can learn a lot from the fictitious characters in the novels you read and from the way they act, speak, and react in certain situations.
But if you think about it, you can learn even more from non-fiction books. Reading biographies, autobiographies, or memoirs will come with the added benefit of finding out what certain real people felt, thought, and did in certain situations. You get to read about real-life events from the lives of some of the most fascinating people to have ever walked the Earth.
It improves your ability to concentrate
Staying focused, especially for extended periods of time is both challenging and essential in our day-to-day lives. Luckily, reading non-fiction can help tremendously in making us able to concentrate better and for longer.
Non-fiction basically teaches us to learn. It is a very trying kind of exercise for our brain, and we will get a little bit better at it every time we pick up a non-fiction book and start reading it. Probably one of the most important benefits of reading non-fiction books is not the actual information we learn, but the way our brain improves every time we learn new things.
Our ability to focus and concentrate can be significantly improved from a very young age for that matter through reading factual data, studying new concepts, and learning new skills.
How can Basmo help?
It goes without saying, reading non-fiction is far from being as easy and fun as reading fiction novels. The benefits are clearly significant, but sometimes we need more motivation to get something done than simply knowing that it’s good for us. Reading fiction is interesting but it can hardly pass as an entertaining activity.
That is where Basmo steps in to change things for the better. Basmo is a reading tracking app dedicated to the modern reader and all their needs, and that includes among other things providing you with the necessary tools to become an accomplished non-fiction reader. Here’s how that can happen to you too.
Basmo can help you stay motivated
We know that reading non-fiction can be challenging. Our app can help you set realistic goals and give you the extra motivation you need.
You can set different goals within the app, either for the time spent reading on a daily basis or for the number of books you read within a year. Or both. Your progress toward reaching your goals can be easily visualized and this is going to constantly provide you with a much-needed push.
With Basmo you can stay organized
While reading fiction is a much simpler and more convenient task, non-fiction generally requires some prep work for the best results. Having your reading sessions scheduled in advance can help you stay on track with your personal goals.
Basmo comes with a reading scheduler that is highly customizable to allow you to work around your daily routine. You can choose the exact days of the week and different times on each day for your reading sessions and you are also going to be reminded of any upcoming sessions through gentle notifications.
Basmo can keep your TBR list tidy
Having a reading list is important for any reader out there. For a reader like you, who is trying to mix fiction and non-fiction into their reading habits, they are absolutely essential.
Luckily, Basmo can help you not only digitalize your reading lists and keep them well organized, but also have them separated by genres. Having a dedicated TBR list for non-fiction and one for fiction is usually a very good idea if you want to make sure you get the best of both worlds. With Basmo, that is extremely easy to do, as the app allows you to create and personalize as many lists as you need.
Take notes to retain more with Basmo
Reading non-fiction usually is closer as an experience to learning than it is to reading to pass the time. To retain more information from what you read, or to keep track of the new concepts you are learning, taking notes is usually absolutely necessary.
With Basmo, taking notes can be done directly in the app while a reading session is ongoing, within the book you are reading. The notes can be organized and personalized in terms of format however you see necessary so that they are easy to read.
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Why should students read non-fiction?
Students, as a demographic, are usually the ones who read the most non-fiction. And it is easy to understand why, as they are constantly learning and that is usually done through textbooks and other reading material.
But apart from the fact that the actual information they need to learn comes from non-fiction books, there is another reason why reading non-fiction is beneficial to students. As I mentioned earlier, non-fiction has a powerful effect on how our brain works. On top of simply providing us with relevant information, non-fiction also helps us learn easier, think analytically, and retain more from what we read in the long run.
Non-fiction can shape our way of thinking, the way we approach learning, and how quickly we manage to comprehend new concepts, and the more we read, the better we become. For students, who are still in the early stages of their lives, acquiring these skills and abilities can have a massive impact on the outcome of their school years, career path, and general success in life.
Final thoughts
The benefits of reading non-fiction books go way beyond the actual information and knowledge we acquire. Use Basmo to easily integrate non-fiction in your reading routine and you will soon see the results for yourself.
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