I know it’s late to say this, because this day was on Thursday 9th (but I had a LOT of things going on), but because reading is one of my favorite pasttimes… Happy belated national book lovers day! I have never traveled the world and I never had a lot of friends growing up, but I read a LOT of books! Fiction, non-fiction, comic books…Books in general helped me see the world and people in many ways than I could ever have without them. I liked seeing how I got to travel to distance places or other parallel universes. Or I could travel back in time and get better acquainted with notable figures like, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Books helped me also introduced to social issues that people around the world such as prostitution, rape, maternal morality, and lack of access to education as found in the book, “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women World” by Nicholas Krisof and Sheryl Wudunn. I suggest you read the book by the way. It’s a great read. Reading pretty much keeps me being a well rounded person. I learn how better express myself through reading, I learn how to construct my thoughts, sentences… Reading has just always helped me to know you can never stop learning and that it’s not only restricted to a classroom.
So National Book Lovers Day…what is it exactly? Well noone knows exactly when it started or who started, but all that its known for helping bibliophile’s like myself (a person who has a great appreciation for a collecting books). It reminds current and incoming readers to find a book they like and read it in your favorite place. Regardless of the format of the book, whether its an e-book or through book pages, go on and have a good read!
In an online article written by Sarah DiGiulio titled, “Why ‘getting lost in a book’ is so good for you, according to science” she provide 5 reasons as to why reading is so essential for mental health:
- Stories about other people teach us to be the types of people we want to be
- Reading helps provide that sense of belonging that all humans need
- It bolsters all sorts of social skills
- Reading is good for our brains and may even help us live longer
- Getting lost in a good book provides the good kind of escape
Let me go over some of the examples to help explain why reading is good for your noggin:
- Stories about other people teach us to be the types of people we want to be
Reading provides us with the various experience and different personalities we’d probably never come across in this lifetime. It can also help readers to be more adaptable to others. In a study done in 2009 by Keith Oatley, PhD a professor emeritus in the department of applied psychology and human development at University of Toronto and his colleagues found “that after reading one of two different versions of the same story–one an original piece of fiction and the other a retelling of the same story written in a non-fiction–participants who read fiction changed in their personality traits more than those who read the non-fictions version of the story, and reported feeling higher level of emotions.
“It is very important in the social world to understand others,” says Dr. Oatley. “to understand ourselves, and not just get stuck.”
- Reading is good for our brains and may even help us live longer
No joke. It really is. Past neuroscience research have shown how reading aides in other cognitive skills by starting up the neural networks in the brain to improve our social cognition and conceptual processing of abstract content.”
“Reading,” says Avni Bavishi, an MD candidate at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. “By engaging the brain, it may keep the brain active enough to prevent cognitive decline that is associated with earlier mortality.”
Examples of cognitive decline (Cognitive, 2013), especially in late age include:
-Loses in verbal memory
-Slower inductive reasoning/slower problem solving
-Few changes in verbal ability
Makes you wanna read more… or even begin to start reading if you haven’t done so already.
- Getting lost in a good book provides the good kind of escape
It’s a good break from all the worries and thoughts running across your mind. Much like any sort of media like movies and video games it won’t take your problem away, but at least you’ll have a refreshed mind to face them.
Regardless of the facts displayed by science it kinda doesn’t take a genius to realize just how awesome reading. And look you don’t have to read books like “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” or “The Count of Monte Cristo” to be a “sophisticated” person. Although if you like those books fine, but there are dozens of other genres for you to read out there that is a good fit for you (comic books count too). And even within that there books that have series or books based on your favorite movies or visa versa. There’s something for everyone.
References
Cognitive Changes With Aging. (2013) Retrieved from: http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/PH/Aging/mobile_pages/Aging5.html
DiGiulio, S. (2018) Why “getting lost in a book” is so good for you according to science. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/better/pop-culture/why-getting-lost-book-so-good-you-according-science-ncna893256?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma
This was my first time attending this event and it was very entertaining! I was fortunate to meet and keep in touch with some the authors…I mean…golly! I’d never think I’d actually think I could befriend an author. Anyway, it was a nice event and if you love books, sci-fi, and comic books, check it out next year. It’s a fun filled event that is free to all people, that I’m sure you, your family and friends will enjoy.
Living Resiliently Blog 