We all know that reading is, or should be, an important part of our lives. Whether we read to learn, to relax, or simply because we want to take advantage of the many benefits of reading for our health, one thing is clear: understanding the purpose of reading could be a lot more complicated than we might expect.
Here at Basmo, we are completely dedicated to helping you improve your reading experience, enhance your performance, and ultimately, give you the proper tools to stay motivated to read more. Part of what motivates us, in general, is understanding why we do certain things.
In this case, answering the question “What is the purpose of reading?” could help us not only grasp its importance but also find the inner strength to keep doing it.
What Is the Main Purpose of Reading?
The purpose of reading books might differ from one person to another. As much as I would like to provide you with a clear answer to this question, unfortunately, a lot of other smarter and better-prepared people before me have tried with no success.
There are several schools of thought when it comes to identifying the one main purpose of devouring books and other reading material. For some, the importance of reading and its purpose could be summarized as the process of acquiring information, gathering general or specialized knowledge, and improving comprehension.
For others, reading is mainly a tool to develop cognitive skills, improve communication skills, develop better imagination, and enhance levels of empathy. Since reading comprehension can have a huge impact on a series of aspects of our intellect, from enhanced vocabulary to gaining a deeper understanding of the world around us, it’s easy to understand why for so many the most important and relevant purpose for reading is to be a means to an end for personal growth.
Last but not least, there is no denying the fact that reading is, for many of us, a form of entertainment, a stress-relief tool, or simply a way to pass the time.
To conclude, reading is a very complex activity, and it comes with enough benefits to make finding its true purpose virtually impossible. Ultimately, the main purpose for reading differs from one reader to another and that is perfectly fine.
We all have different perspectives and that is what makes life so beautiful. The purpose of reading can be whatever you find to be the most important thing you earn every time you open a book and let yourself be immersed in its pages.
What Are Other Purposes of Reading?
Regardless of the actual purpose for reading you consider as being the most relevant to you, one thing you need to make sure of is to understand what other purposes of reading are there. Reading can be done with a lot of intentions, and whether you’re engaging in active reading or just skimming some written material, there is a different motivation that can guide you through this activity.
1. Reading for Research
Reading is an important instrument for gathering information on a specific topic, analyzing and finding gaps in our current knowledge to add new ideas. Reading for research helps us develop a better understanding of a particular topic, it can aid in our efforts to connect different ideas from different sources and provides us with an invaluable tool to synthesize data, comprehend it, and retain it for future use.
2. Reading to Integrate Information
Reading allows us to synthesize and connect ideas from various sources, fostering our ability to think critically and create a comprehensive understanding of complex topics that are of interest to us.
This process is crucial not only for actually acquiring information and processing it through our own filters, but also plays a role in developing our ability for problem-solving, decision-making, and making well-informed opinions.
3. Reading to Write
Reading is an invaluable tool when it comes to improving writing skills. Putting out ideas in our own words is sometimes more complicated than it sounds. Through reading, we get to enrich our vocabulary, which makes finding the right words to use a lot easier.
On top of this, reading forces us to explore diverse writing styles, enables us to discover new techniques, and teaches us to better structure our writing in a manner that aids the efficiency of the way we communicate our ideas.
Ultimately, reading will inevitably help you become a better writer.
4. Reading to Learn
Reading is a fundamental tool that aids us in the process of gathering information about a certain topic or acquiring general knowledge. Nowadays, we can gain information in a series of other ways, but reading remains the most prevalent and efficient technique.
Whether we learn for academic success or simply to develop our knowledge in certain topics, reading will help us grow and stay informed in the fields that are of interest to us.
5. Reading to Critique
Especially through active reading, we engage actively with the content we are reading through. And on top of comprehension and retention, there is one more aspect of reading that makes it a very internal and personal process.
Reading encourages us to form our own opinions. We can evaluate the ideas we are presented with by the author, as well as the way these ideas were presented by the writer.
Through this process of analyzing and critiquing the things we read, we develop our critical thinking skills, refine or expand our own perspectives, and we get to challenge ideas or assumptions.
6. Reading to Unwind
There should come as no surprise for any of us that for many, the purpose of reading is to simply unwind after a long day. Reading is a very efficient stress-relief tool and can help us relax without the need for any other additional techniques.
Reading pushes us to engage with fictional worlds and characters, allows us to explore the things that are of interest to us, and gives us a mental break and a way to escape our daily stressors.
7. Reading for Personal Growth
Whether we want to improve reading comprehension, enhance vocabulary or simply become better writers, reading is an amazing tool for personal growth.
It can provide us with important information regarding the exact skills we are looking to improve, or it can facilitate self-reflection and self-improvement through a huge range of techniques.
Reading allows us to gain a deeper understanding and intriguing insights into other cultures, exposes us to different philosophies, and helps us become more mindful and self-aware.
Ultimately, this makes us more empathetic and boosts our emotional intelligence, while also promoting our self-growth by improving the way we relate to others.
8. Reading for Social Connection
Last but not least, another common reading purpose is as simple as pure social connection. Reading can provide us with common ground, giving us simply something to talk about with others.
Meeting like-minded people who enjoy reading the same books we love can allow us to share opinions, expand on our own ideas, and discuss the experience of reading with others.
Whether you decide to join a book club or you simply discuss your favorite books with close friends or family members, reading is definitely an activity that can bring us closer to others and promotes or even facilitates some pretty satisfying discussions.
How to Achieve Your Reading Purpose With Basmo?
Regardless of what your purpose is, you can improve both your experience and the efficiency of your reading sessions with Basmo, the ultimate reading-tracking app. Here’s how it can help you achieve your goals and take full advantage of what reading can do for you.
Basmo improves your reading habits. Whether your purpose is improving reading comprehension, general knowledge, or simply unwinding after a long day, consistency is the name of the game in all aspects that are reading-related. For that, our app comes with a special scheduling feature that allows you to set exact days and times for each reading session. That way you can work around your general routines and never skip a day of reading.
Basmo aids the process of making notes. Whether you read fiction, non-fiction books, or even recipe books from time to time, it’s important to always write things down while reading. This helps you retain more from what you read, but also plays a role in how we synthesize information and how we process it. With Basmo, making relevant notes is not only easy but also efficient and dare I say, fun?
Basmo allows you to set goals. Regardless of your deeper purpose, it’s always a good idea to set clear goals for your reading. This helps you stay motivated and pushes you to progress as a reader. Reading opens our minds whether we are learning or simply doing it for fun, but having clear goals makes the process a lot more rewarding. With Basmo, you can set different kinds of goals to meet your exact needs.
Final Thoughts
What makes reading important might differ from one person to another. What our individual purposes are whenever we decide to open a book might be something else for each of us and we may never find a universal purpose for reading. But what really matters is to keep on reading, improving ourselves as much as possible, and using reading as a tool to help us become the absolute best version of ourselves. Try Basmo and see how easy, fun, and rewarding it is!
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