9+ Benefits Of Reading You Might Not Already Know

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Pile of books on a blue background: Caption: Benefits of Reading

If you already love reading, you know how many ways a reading habit can help. If you’re trying to convince yourself that picking up a book is worthwhile, then allow me to introduce you to the wonderful things that books have the power to do for you, if you let them!

I can’t imagine a life without books, because the pleasure of getting lost in a good book is something I’ve known since I was very small. It’s been a part of my family culture my whole life. And helping people see how whatever subject you’re reading, books can work in your favor is so much fun!

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Pile of books on a blue background: Caption: Benefits of Reading

Common Top 10 Benefits of Reading Books

We could talk about the common top 10 benefits of reading books, which are amazing. There are dozens of lists that share how regular reading improves your life. Things like:

  • How they reduce stress, because you move outside yourself and enjoy someone else’s epic adventure or comedy of errors.
  • Expand your vocabulary since you get to see words used in different ways, and new words in helpful context, making them easily understood. 
  • Help you live longer (I’m assuming because your stress levels decrease and your compassion grows…)
  • Help you fall asleep because you’re avoiding blue light and extreme stimulation. Just don’t read a murder mystery before bed. Those will keep you awake!
  • Exercise your brain by learning new things, experiencing life through different eyes, and otherwise stretch your experiences and brain synapses. The more you read, the more your ability to understand things will grow.
  • Boost your mood, because choosing the right books can change your mood from crabby to happy, just by reading them
  • Free/cheap travel. Yes, books provide an excellent and affordable way to travel the world, and see what life is like in lots of places (and time periods, too!)
  • Develop and stretch your imagination. there are all kinds of genres for book reading that will grow and stretch your imagination beyond what you thought possible. (fantasy and scifi, to name a couple of my favorites)
  • Build memory skills with more complex plot lines. There’s usually more than 3 people and events to keep track of, so keeping them straight and remembering key points is important. It might take practice, but reading can increase your memory skills.
  • Generally help you learn things. Whether you are reading textbooks, or novels, and to read magazines and other forms of writing, you’ll learn all kinds of things. My son is reading a book about volcanoes and other weather phenomena and just told me that back in 2010, fish fell from the sky in Australia. I’ve got to stop writing for a minute and find out what happened! Excuse me. I’ll be right back. (They were sucked up by a tornado, and then released, apparently)

But I’d much rather talk about some of the many benefits that don’t usually make the list. Or maybe I’ve been reading the wrong lists. Who knows. But these are very well explained in lots of places, so let’s look at some of the other benefits.

Because books add dimension to your life. They can transform your understanding, and give depth to why the people in your life do the things they do. Why the world works the way it does. Understanding these things is really helpful!

Books on blue background
Caption: The unexpected benefits of reading

The Unexpected Benefits of Reading Books

By books, I’m talking about a good book, the kind of book you read and grow as a person. Any genre can qualify if the reading gives you a chance to practice being more like Jesus. 

Benefits of Reading Fiction

I have to admit that novels are my favorite form of self-help books. They show me what better can look like, rather than just telling me what to do.

Practice for Real Life

Reading a novel is one of my favorite activities. Especially the ones by authors whose writing skills put me in the heart of the struggle, and it’s like I’m the one torn between which course of action to take. Like I can see a logical path forward in more than one direction, and choosing is hard! Because then I can PRACTICE for when those situations occur in real life.

For instance, these books really help me be prepared to put legs to my convictions.

Gain Perspective and Clarity

The way some authors have created another world and draw you in, and shows an allegory of a common situation that makes things clearer in the here and now. I’ve often found that reading books helps me gain perspective and clarity on an interpersonal dynamic, choice or why someone might have made a decision that made no sense to me beforehand.

Bring Past Events To Life

Reading fictional accounts of the big events of history fleshes out possible thoughts and feelings of the key players or even peripheral people who were affected by them. In this way, reading stimulates empathy and understanding more than any amount of information in a textbook could possibly give you. Now, you have to know that the author has done their research, and made educated guesses, but overall, reading fiction is far more than just a form of entertainment.

If the idea of brand new Top Christian Fiction books mailed right to your doorway appeals to you, you might be interested in the Truly Yours Book Box! Including romance, mystery, suspense, and Amish fiction, you never know what you might get! Maybe sign up with a friend, and have a Christian book of the month club between you!

Benefits of Reading the Bible

Developing the habit of reading the Bible regularly can’t be understated. I don’t always succeed at reading daily, but I am not about to quit trying. I know that reading daily has some unquestionable benefits.

Regularly Reading Increases Familiarity

The more you read your Bible, you improve your memory of the important things. Maybe not the verse addresses, but the concepts and events for sure. And the more familiar you are with those things, the more you will be able to apply what you’ve read.

Natalie over at Bible Verses for You has an awesome 18 Month Bible reading plan, that is set up in a different order than you may be used to, but the 15 minutes a day reading plan has you going through books of the Bible in practical, applicable order, and there are some really cool bonuses.

You Get To Know God’s Heart

Consistent Bible time also helps us see God’s heart in action through the centuries. And the way he provides the promises and then fulfills them over and over helps us learn to trust him with our problems. Because if he would help Daniel in the Lions den and then send an angel to answer his questions, and be with David despite his mistakes, encourages me that there’s nothing he can’t deal with if we keep our hearts  focused on his heart!

You Steer Where You Stare

One of the great benefits of reading regularly is that you’re more likely to steer your life towards loving one another and honoring God, if you are reading your Bible regularly. Just like in driving a car, if you’re looking at it, you’ll head that way.

Benefits of Reading Out Loud

Reading out loud is excellent for many reasons. Here are my favorites:

Reading Is a Great Way to Build Family Togetherness

Chances are if you are reading aloud, it is because it’s happening as a family. Sharing that reading experience takes you on all kinds of adventures, and creates space for some fascinating discussions, on topics you might never think to bring up and explore together. And besides nonfiction, finding a novel based around whatever subject you’re learning about can really enhance the learning experience and amount of fun you’re having!

Grow Your Reading Ability and Vocabulary (and the Kids, Too)

It’s more than just learning new words, or strengthening your reading comprehension. Those are important, yes. And they happen when you start reading books aloud. But the more you read aloud, the smoother the practice becomes. You’ll start scanning ahead for punctuation and get into the story. You might not give each character their own ‘voice’ or maybe you’ll find that doing so is a lot of fun.

The more you do it, the more confidence you (and the kids) develop, and that can have huge benefits in real world situations where you need to be able to speak up.

It Improves Memory at Any Age

Reading books can help improve memory, by involving more than just your eyes. Using more senses helps things stick better. Kind of like writing a grocery list, even if you leave it home, you thought it, wrote it and saw it, so you’ll remember more of it. I like reading aloud because I remember those stories and concepts longer than if I read silently.

I just love the positive effect of reading in so many areas of life, how about you? I think people who read have way more to offer than most people realize!

Books on blue background
Caption: the advantages of reading

The Advantages of Reading That Help Improve Your Life

A lot of good things happen when you read a book. I hope you’ve discovered some of the awesome benefits available to you, at the turn of a page. And, since reading is an affordable activity, what’s to stop you?

How Does Reading Help You?

When you read every day for a bit of an escape, and your stress levels drop, you will have a little more bandwidth (and ideas for how) to cope with life situations. This is one of my favorite advantages of reading books! When reading time can enhance real life, I call that a win!

How Is Reading Good for You?

Reading is good for you because reading relaxes you as you enter a different world. It inspires you to reach beyond your comfort zone, and relate to others in a new way. When you read a book from a different perspective, you normally absorb a bit of compassion and empathy toward someone going through whatever you’re experiencing on those pages. 

Also, you can learn just about anything in the pages of a book. How to fix this or build that. Which plants are good for what needs…

Your Turn: Do You Think Reading Books is Important?

Are you ready to start enjoying books regularly? Are you convinced of the importance of reading books, and just need a bit of help on where to fit them in your schedule? Then it’s time to pick up the latest Christian release, and make time for stress management and character development!

If I didn’t convince you, tell me why? I’d love to know what’s holding you back. Maybe we can come up with a solution together!

And what are your favorite bookish benefits that I left out? Let’s make this list better for others. Let us know how books have helped you have a better life, or relate to someone you were having difficulty understanding, or…

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