I have previously written about the happiness of reading, a pleasure I hope everyone, or at least, most people experience. As I wrote before, I consider reading to be one of the main joys of life.
I also want to consider the benefits of reading. I think the first, and perhaps most obvious, value is that of education. Regardless of where the reading is done, or if it is for class or for self, all reading informs the reader in some way. While there are a myriad of ways to learn in life, reading still stands out as the primary, and most efficient, way of gaining information. (I am not in any way discounting the importance of learning through experience.) Readers can learn about areas of study that exist far outside of their particular areas of understanding or expertise. For example, I am a student of English literature, but I love reading books about quantum mechanics and the extraordinarily esoteric world of String Theory. I do not understand these ideas the way a physicist would, but I can still appreciate the ideas from books aimed at intelligent, non-specialist readers. Such reading allows the book lover to explore an almost unlimited range of ideas.
In addition to education, I think there is a second and equally important value to reading. I have read numerous articles recently about studies suggesting that people, who read, especially fiction, develop more empathy than those who don’t read (Chiaet). The overall point of the results of this study, as well as others, is that people who read fiction tend to learn to identify with other human beings and their problems. This is what many of our parents taught to us when they said that we needed to learn to walk in the shoes of other people. It is the basic idea of trying to understand how other people think and feel. Even without these scientific studies, I would assert that fiction helps us to develop empathy.
What do you think about this? Do any of you have other suggestions about the benefits of reading? I would enjoy seeing your ideas.
Works Cited
Chiaet, Julianne. “Novel Finding: Reading Literary Fiction Improves Empathy.” Scientific
American.Com. October 4, 2013. Web.
Helps you write better
Builds stronger analytical skills
Improves vocabulary
Builds patience! (especially if you listen to audio books)
Entertains you
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You have started a great list. Thank you.
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thank you! These are excellent additions
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Sadly, too often I hear people say “I don’t read fiction…I find it a waste of my time”. Your post has given me a wonderful response to tuck away for the next time I encounter this kind of attitude.
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Thank you for your comment. I agree. I think it is sad for those who don’t experience this joy. They truly do not understand what happiness they could be experiencing.
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Reading fiction creates readers. School age children who read fiction are far more likely to become readers. Isn’t that interesting? That just adds to the importance of fiction.
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I totally agree with you GhostBusterbev. I was scrolling down the comment s to see if anyone had said what i wanted to say, and here you are, lol
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Reblogged this on writersback and commented:
Reading was my outlet growing up and I spent many weekends at the library engrossed in fiction books in far away place. The characters were rich and lovely and I knew if I stayed in school and got a good education; I could do whatever I wanted and travel and maybe see some of those places I had read about. I learned the world was bigger than any one idea or person. It was invaluable and only achieved through reading. Love this article. Hope alot of young people can read it. Thank you.
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You are welcome! And thank you for reblogging this post.
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I completely agree with your outlook and am happy have found another lover of reading.
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I completely agree with your outlook and am happy to have found another lover of reading.
Reading relieves stress, helps when fighting insomnia, broadens the readers horizon, and helps learn new languages faster. My life would be very one sided if I didn’t have the possibility to read fiction.
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Thank you for the comment and for following my blog.
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I wish more people embraced reading fiction. I believe they would be happier people if they did.
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I agree. I think a lot of people need to see things in a different perspective and reading helps achieve that. And it is a healthy outlet.
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For me, reading satisfies a curiosity for how other people’s brains work, and the endings are usually much more satisfying than the ones we get in real life.
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Yes, reading is often more satisfying than real life, and thank you for the comment!
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I just wanted to let you know that I have not been able to leave comments or like your posts on your pages. I am not sure if the problem is on my end or yours.
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Hmm, I shall attempt to embody Sherlock Holmes and deduce the solution!
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Please let me know what you find.
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Do the links/buttons just not work, or does it reload the page, or provide an error message?
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Hello, it says on your page a message like “oops, that is not available” that may not be the exact quotation, but it is close.
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I have often been called an empathetic person. When I reflect on your latest entry, I believe reading has had a positive impact on the way I view life and more importantly the way I interact with others. Reading fiction allows you to get inside the brain of others and see how they might process the same information in a very differnt way then you might. Nothing makes me happier and at the same time sadder when I get to the end of the book and I just do not want it to end. I want to know more about the characters and their lives. That is why I am a sucker for a good trilogy.
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Thank you for a wonderful comment! Reading does get us into the other person’s brain.
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I don’t know if ’empathy’ would be something that applied to how I feel or view those that can’t or don’t read. In my case to ‘sympathize’ might fit better. I’ve really never thought about it. Whatever the case, books have always been great teachers and the best adventures providers I’ve ever had.
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I can’t imagine NOT reading…that seems like a foreign concept to me.
As a writer reading those within your genre can give you insight on how to better your own writing. Reading outside your genre can really expand how you look at your own genre and force you to take the time to concentrate on how to make your book relatable to those who aren’t prone to reading something like it.
Reading can also help you learn to spell those words you’ve heard so many times but never seen before…such as colonel. 🙂
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Hello, and thank you for the comment and for following my blog. I agree with what you said about not reading. I can’t imagine in any way not reading; it is such a central part of who I am.
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” I am a student of English literature, but I love reading books about quantum mechanics and the extraordinarily esoteric world of String Theory.”
Yikes! I assumed I was the only such creature.
Have you read Grammatical Man by Jeremy Campbell? I’ve probably read it cover to cover six times, and have often consulted it a hundred times while composing. Yes, it’s that good.
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Thank you for the comment and for following my blog. Also, thank you for the reading recommendation; I have not read this one yet, but it is not on my to-read list!
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Reblogged this on Writer's Work Lab.
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Charles,
I am intrigued with the whole idea of WHY reading is important. Would you be interested in doing a similar post for my blog geared toward parents raising children? I love the idea beyond just reading to learn…the discovery of social consciousness, empathy, kindness toward others. If you are game, leave a message and contact info on my blog and I’ll be in touch. Or send a tweet @dustbunnymaven
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Hello, and thank you for your comment. I would be very interested in doing a similar post for you. Please let me know the information.
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Reblogged this on Words Are My Craft and commented:
Interesting post on the benefits of reading!
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Thank you for your comment and for the reblogging!
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Reblogged this on charles french words reading and writing and commented:
This is a reblogging of an early post on the benefits of reading.
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I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award. Go check it out at
https://whathasbecomeofparenting.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/one-lovely-blog-award-2/
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Thank you very much!
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Reblogged this on A Teacher's Reflections and commented:
The happiness of reading, and the benefits of reading; Reading = Learning + Pleasure. What about fiction? This is an important post. Please read.
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Charles, this is terrific. Thank you for a great post. Including fiction is critical. If people understood that reading fiction creates empathy and also creates readers, then they would be beating a path to the library. Thank you!
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You are very welcome, and reading fiction is crucial to developing empathy. I hope libraries soon have a mass of people waiting to get in.
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Yes, you are so right. Yesterday I read the chapter about Crossing the Creek and Jack the dog being feared lost and dead. Talk about developing empathy! Will have to write about that… I, too hope libraries have a waiting line.
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That would be the beginning of improving the world.
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Yes, it would.
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