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Reports suggest that less than fifty percent of people read fiction, and that number may be declining. I was recently surprised to find out that a relative of mine, a middle-aged man, never reads novels and chooses instead to watch podcasts. A close friend told me that she only reads magazines, and someone else said that he hadn’t read a book for years.
That inspired me to list the health benefits of reading fiction. There are so many positive effects that it should be made compulsory. It helps your career path, improves the functioning of your brain, increases your social skills and helps prevent disease. That means there are significant impacts on your physical, social, spiritual and mental health.
The Health Benefits
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Young people who read extensively tend to do well at school and university. They often go on to have highly successful careers.
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Reading fiction helps to exercise your brain and keep it in good condition.
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It improves focus and concentration, an important skill that is being lost as we become more addicted to intense multi-tasking on our electronic devices.
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It helps to improve your analytical thinking skills, as most people do not just read passively but attempt to solve the central mysteries and problems in a story.
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You will have a better vocabulary.
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Your writing skills are improved, and extensive reading is seen as essential for anyone wanting to be a writer.
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Your general knowledge will improve with every fiction book you read, as various locations, periods of history and points of view are explored.
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You will become more articulate, able to utilise your large vocabulary, general knowledge and language skills.
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Your memory will be improved, because you need to focus on following a storyline with multiple characters and plots.
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It helps to prevent or slow the progress of dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease.
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Reading fiction is a relaxing activity.
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It helps to lower blood pressure and reduce stress.
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Reading as part of a bedtime ritual can improve sleeping patterns.
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It allows you to experience how other people live their lives and deal with problems.
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Reading fiction allows you to experience excitement, adventure and romance through the lives of the characters.
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It gives you new perspectives on problems and issues.
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It can increase your empathy skills.
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Readers of fiction appear to be educated and informed, and people are impressed when we mention our love of reading.
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It can provide a source of social interaction if you choose to belong to book clubs or attend other reading-related activities.
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It has been suggested that readers may have improved social skills.
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Reading fiction can provide many hours of entertainment at comparatively low cost.
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It can be a wonderful way to pass the time whenever you are waiting, especially while travelling or attending appointments.
Let’s hope that there is no further decline in the percentage of people reading fiction, and that perhaps it might start to improve.
Amazon:
Reblogged this on Literacy Lessons.
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Thanks for sharing, Rae 😃
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Thank you so much for sharing that, Rae
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I could not live without my kindle – I couldn’t afford all the books I read. For me the added benefit is – I can read in bed!
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😀
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I agree Noelle – in fact, you can read just about anywhere!
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Love this!
It is refreshing to read the perks of reading fiction. Will reblog and look forward to discussing more reasons for people to read fiction. Love it!
Thanks,
Caroline
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Thanks Caroline, and thank you so much for reblog. I agree – let’s hope we can convince more people to take up the habit.
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Many thanks for sharing that! Hopefully, that might encourage a few more people to become converted. x
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Yes. Yes and yes!
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I love this list! I’ve never needed a reason to read fiction except for pure enjoyment. There is so much distraction from electronic devices that many people haven’t read much beyond what’s on their cell phone.
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Thanks Michelle. Yes, it seems that reading fiction really is good for us – and with our life expectancy on the rise, we need to do everything we can to look after our health.
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Fantastic list of benefits Toni! 🙂
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Many thanks Debby x
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❤
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Reblogged this on Archer's Aim and commented:
Wow, lots of benefits from reading fiction! I knew about some of these but not all of them. Reblogging on Archer’s Aim!
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Thank you so much – and glad you found the article interesting.
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I did, thanks for sharing that list. It’s a good reminder to read often as a way to exercise the mind and emotions!
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Thanks so much for the share, PH x
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You are welcome!
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Thanks for sharing PH 😀
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