One of the most common New Year resolutions amongst people is to read more. However, they are not always able to follow through on the decision. If you are also having trouble picking up a book, let us try to convince you. There are many benefits of reading, and some of them are discussed in detail below.

Work Out Your Brain

You don’t have to work out your body alone, but your brain as well. The easiest way to exercise your brain is to read. There are a variety of scientific studies that have proved that reading can make you smarter and your brain healthier. You can do this by reading a novel, which should increase blood flow to your brain.

Open Yourself to New Ideas

There are books written by authors from all parts of the world. They have written stories about their lives and the people around them, most of which you are not familiar with. By reading novels, you can learn about people living across the globe and open yourself up to new possibilities.

Become a Better Writer

If you have wanted to write your book, the easiest way to improve your work is by reading published books. These authors’ books have been put through rigorous edits, and you can learn from the way they have written. You can also improve your vocabulary and learn how to present your point of view as effectively as possible.

Work on Your Conversational Skills

As stated, reading improves your vocabulary and grammar. You don’t just learn new words, but also how to use those words correctly, making you more articulate. Everything you learn from reading can also translate to your speech. You can use newer words to get your point across and participate in conversations with more confidence.

Strengthen Your Worldview

You will read about various points of view in stories. You will relate to some characters and be unable to understand the convictions of others. You can broaden your perspective by reading about others’ beliefs and improving your understanding of the world.

Improve Your Knowledge of History

Reading can improve your knowledge about a lot of things such as history, politics, cultures, and more. Novels offer you the ability to learn about these complex topics in the context of a story. If history seemed boring to you in school, but you would like to learn more, you can read a story set in the past and find out more about that particular time. Instead of learning the dry course and memorizing a bunch of dates and names you are bound to forget, you can learn about the past in the form of a story.

Increase Your Cultural Knowledge

If you haven’t had the opportunity to travel far and wide, reading is the best way to learn more about the cultures in the world. You don’t have to travel to Asia or Central America to learn more about the way people live there. You can read books by authors from those countries and get a firsthand account of what it was like to live there.

Let Your Imagination Run Wild

If you are reading books, you are forced to visualize the environment. The descriptions by the author force you to use your brain to closely match the words in the book. The same goes for action scenes, character appearances, and more.

Let yourself be inspired

Many times a good book can inspire the reader to do good. The passion that the character feels in the books can also inspire the reader to take action towards their own goals.

Reading Helps to Reduce Stress

Reading a book can help you reduce your stress. By reading a book that you enjoy, you can become immersed in the story and feel relaxed. You can feel the tension leave your muscles as your brain loses itself in the author’s words and wanders in its imagination.

Tips to Get Started

Visit Goodreads and open up an account. You can assign yourself a reading challenge for the year that can help you remember your goals.
You can follow friends who are reading books and discuss books on the site.
Try to stick to a specific time every day to make it a habit.
Instead of visiting bookstores, you can find all the books online. Websites, like Project Gutenberg, offer over 60,000 free books.

With an internet connection, you can download books at any time and read them on your tablet. You can browse through Suddenlink Internet or Optimum Internet plans to subscribe to a high-speed internet connection.

In Summary

Reading is a wonderful activity that can help you take your mind off things. You can improve various areas of your life by reading more. If you have had trouble starting to read, just go through the above benefits again to remind yourself why you resolved to do so in the first place.