The importance of reading has been explored for centuries. Why is reading important for us as humans, for our education, and ultimately for us as part of a high-functioning society? Well, the reasons are as varied as you would imagine.
Here at Basmo, we explored the importance of reading for a long time and came up with some pretty interesting conclusions we will be presenting below. There’s a good reason why we are so dedicated to our mission to help you and others like you become the ultimate readers – we understand why reading is important. And soon, you will too.
Is reading important?
Without a shred of a doubt, yes. Reading is important. As I will explain below, the importance of reading stems from a series of different factors, which range from purely educational ones to health benefits and advantages for our societies.
A literate society is a rich and powerful society. There is a clear link between success in life or career and reading. While a definitive causality effect hasn’t been defined yet, it is clearly not coincidental that the most successful people (leaders, billionaires, people in positions of extreme power) also read a lot.
Equally non-coincidental is the fact that countries with a high degree of literacy and societies that are encouraged to read as much as possible see huge advantages from an economic standpoint. The power of reading is tremendous and there is no question about it.
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Why is reading important?
While there are many other less obvious and less tangible reasons why reading is important, some stand out from the rest simply because they can change the course of our lives as individuals or the course of our history as a society.
1. Reading makes us smarter
Without a doubt, reading is important because it provides us with knowledge. Reading can teach us to think critically and analyze information objectively, and it promotes a thirst for knowledge. The more we read, the better we understand the world we live in, with all of its flaws and advantages, and more importantly, the more avid we become to learn more.
Reading is generally seen as a recreational activity, and while it can be that as well, it can also be an amazing learning tool. Even if we don’t have this particular intention, we gain knowledge, learn new words, enhance our conversational skills, and improve our emotional intelligence. Reading has a positive effect on our level of general knowledge but also improves our way of thinking and how we see the world.
As individuals, we can easily understand how reading can change our lives through the fact that it improves our mental abilities. But if we look at the big picture and try to understand how a society of readers is different from one where reading is not a common habit, things can start feeling a little overwhelming. The important thing to remember is that reading can literally change the course of history and can easily turn things around for struggling countries or societies.
2. Reading is entertaining and relaxing
Especially if we think about reading fiction, it becomes quite clear that reading is a form of entertainment. And more importantly, it is a healthy form of entertainment. While you are having fun reading about the adventures of your favorite fictional characters, your brain is having a great workout, you learn new things without even realizing it, and your mind and body become more relaxed.
As a matter of fact, reading is one of the most efficient stress-relief activities out there. As little as 20 minutes of reading per day can reduce the level of stress by more than 60% and comes with a plethora of other physical and mental health advantages.
3. Reading puts us in touch with our core emotions
Reading can be fun, it can squeeze a tear from the corner of your eye, or it can keep you on the edge of your seat for hours. Why is it important to read? Well, for one thing, it can help you experience a whole spectrum of emotions without ever having to lift a finger.
You can explore some pretty raw inner emotions while reading with the amazing benefit that you can easily disconnect from the experience by simply closing the book. This exercise can prepare you to a certain extent for the plethora of unexpected things life is going to throw at you.
Needless to say, for a society, emotionally mature individuals can make a huge difference. A society that reads and has a good understanding of both logic and inner emotions can be the difference between riots in the street and peaceful acceptance when it comes to bad news.
4. Reading exposes us to new ideas and concepts
Reading can open our minds. By exposing us to a wide range of ideas, ways of thinking, philosophical dilemmas, and other concepts, it can teach us not only the actual topics the books are about, but also to be more accepting and to keep an open mind.
Handling change is something that we have proven, historically, that we are particularly bad at as a species. Reading can change that. By increasing our global literacy levels and ensuring that more people in the world have access to books and are encouraged to read, we can change how the next generations will live.
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Why is reading important for adults?
While reading is generally regarded as an activity that is prevalently essential for children and students, it is certainly important for adults as well. It’s never too late to learn new things, improve ourselves, and enjoy the things that make reading such an important and beneficial activity.
Reading has many health benefits
You probably wouldn’t have expected to learn this today, but reading is actually healthy. On top of the fact that it reduces stress, which is a huge health benefit in itself, reading plays an important role in other aspects of our well-being.
By relaxing us and helping us disconnect from the things that stress us in our daily lives, reading has several tangible and measurable effects on how our bodies respond.
For example, reading can lower blood pressure and heart rate. It can also relieve muscle tension.
On top of this, healthy reading habits have been associated with better sleep. A good night’s rest can simply be a chapter away. Whether that is because of the relaxing experience of reading or simply because it keeps us away from the dreaded blue light emitted by our alternative choices of entertainment (watching TV, looking at our phones) is still not clear, but does it really matter?
Last but definitely not least, reading is a form of exercise for our brain. Just like our bodies need a training routine to function properly, so does our brain. Reading is mentally challenging and forces our brains to make connections, imagine different scenarios, and think critically. That is a great way to give our brains a nice little workout to keep them in great shape and functioning well.
Basmo can help you better take advantage of reading
What is the importance of reading? As you can tell, there’s quite a lot for you to benefit from if you get into the habit of reading. But how can you do that more easily and effectively? Using a reading tracking app like Basmo might be the perfect answer.
Basmo tracks your reading, helps you stay on track with your reading goals and motivates you to push your own limits. It comes packed to the brim with features that were specially designed to help you read more and better.
Setting goals
Improving yourself needs to start with a clear plan and clear, achievable goals.
Basmo encourages you to set two different reading goals: one for the minutes you spend reading every day and one for the number of books you read within a year. That way, you know exactly what you are aiming for, and the app will show you the progress you’ve made.
Schedule your reading sessions
Being organized is the first thing to achieve in order to become a more efficient reader.
Luckily, Basmo helps you structure your reading in as many pre-scheduled sessions as you want. You can choose the exact days of the week when you want to read and even different times of the day, so you can easily work around your weekly routine.
Create reading lists
Did you know that even the most avid and experienced readers sometimes waste a lot of time between books to decide what to read next? Well, Basmo can help you avoid that.
You can use the app to create as many reading lists as you please, personalize, and edit them however you see fit. That way, you won’t have to waste any time trying to decide on your next book, you simply read the next one on your list.
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Why is reading important for students?
How important is reading for students? Well, it is very important for more than one reason.
As you would expect, actual learning is usually done through reading. So the importance of reading for students is quite obvious in this case. Without reading, they are unlikely to be able to learn everything they need to. Of course, alternative solutions exist nowadays, like video tutorials, but their effectiveness is still to be proven by scientists when compared to reading.
Reading doesn’t only teach students the topics they need to learn. Reading also trains their brains to absorb information quicker, synthesize data more efficiently, and remember more of what they read. It can be an educational tool both by providing important information and by helping students achieve their maximum potential through correct and powerful brain development.
On top of this, it has been proven that reading can help children (or young adults) become more emphatic. This effect comes particularly from reading fiction and the explanation is simple: providing children with fictional stories and deep insights into the way the characters think and react to certain events, expands their view of the world and helps them develop more open-minded and flexible personalities.
Final thoughts on the importance of reading
Now that you are completely aware of the importance of reading both as an individual and as part of the way our society develops, it’s time to find your motivation to read more and push others to do the same as well. Use Basmo to improve your reading habits and become the reader you always wanted to be.
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