WANT TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVELS BY 68% IN 6 MINUTES? READ A BOOK.
Maybe you’ve already heard or read about how reading improves our ability to focus, our memory, and even our stress levels, but exactly how good is reading for us?
We’ve compiled some of the most interesting reasons we should read more into four main findings:
1. Read for 6 minutes, reduce stress levels by 68%
To most of us, it comes as no surprise that we are more stressed than ever; 85% of adults in the UK are experiencing stress regularly and 54% are worried about the impact it has on their health (Forth With Life). Burnout caused by chronic stress is skyrocketing throughout the world and is being declared as a health crisis (The Washington Post). Taking action to change this is inevitable, but easier said than done. We can not always control our environment, but we can control what we do to relax and recover from a stressful day.
A research study carried out by Mindlab International at the University of Sussex in 2009 showed that after only six minutes of reading a book, the subjects’ stress levels were reduced by 68% compared to performing other activities such as listening to music (stress levels reduced by 61%), or taking a walk (stress levels reduced by 42%) (The Telegraph)
Cognitive neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis, who conducted the study, comments:
“It really doesn’t matter what book you read, by losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination.”
2. Improve your ability to focus
Feel like you can’t focus at work? Like you’re constantly distracted by things you’re not supposed to be distracted by? Most likely, it’s not your fault. Our ability to concentrate and pay attention to things for a longer period of time is declining by design (bite-sized content on various platforms, comparing our lives to others’ on social media, etc).
There is light at the end of the tunnel, though.
Neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield says that reading helps to lengthen our attention spans and improves the ability to think clearly.
‘Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end — a structure that encourages our brains to think in sequence, to link cause, effect and significance,’ she says.
‘It is essential to learn this skill as a small child, while the brain has more plasticity, which is why it’s so important for parents to read to their children.
‘The more we do it, the better we get at it.’
3. Mental Fitness: Do you even read, bro?
According to a study at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, mental stimulation like reading can help protect memory and thinking skills, especially with age. The authors of the study even suggest that reading every day can slow down late-life cognitive decline, keeping brains healthier and higher functioning for longer (Bustle.com).
Ongoing studies and observations at North Central University published similar findings. According to the graduate school’s director, Dr. Wade Fish, reading has actually shown to have a slower rate of memory deterioration and the decline of other key mental capacities. This delayed decline means that older adults can stay mentally healthier for longer, which actually means reading can help people live longer.
4. Read — reduce anxiety for up until five days after finishing your book — do it all over again
A study at Emory University showed that novel reading enhances connectivity in the brain as well as improving brain function. Carol Clark, the lead author of the study and neuroscientist, Professor Gregory Berns said:
“The neural changes that we found associated with physical sensation and movement systems suggest that reading a novel can transport you into the body of the protagonist.”
The researchers noted how the neural changes weren’t just immediate reactions, but persisted the mornings after the readings as well as for five days after participants completed the novel.
The simple act of reading a novel, can give us a psychological shot of courage, encouraging personal growth while reducing anxiety. The importance of reading for mental health and wellness is what coined the expression “bibliotherapy” in 1916. (Psych Central)
In events of Mental Health Awareness Month, Bookself has released some of of the most life-changing books for people like Elon Musk, Oprah, Bill Gates, and Ellen DeGeneres, for you to read or listen to for free on Bookself.app.
Bookself is the social, freemium reading platform that makes reading more engaging and easy to build a habit around. Read or listen to your favorite books while discussing them and getting inspired by friends and thought leaders in mindfulness, entrepreneurship, nutrition, psychology, and much more.
My name is Jessica Mansourati and I am one of the founders of Bookself.app. I have struggled with depression and burnout in the past and was determined to do something about the fact that we so often waste much of our time (55 days per person last year, to be exact) on certain social platforms due to more addictive and engaging content.
Bookself was born out of the passion and determination to make something that actually has so many profoundly positive effects on our mental health just as fun and engaging as today’s social media platforms.
Currently, we have free audio- and e-book classics on the platform, and we will soon launch one of the widest audio-book catalogues on there.
Download it here and share your reading! For any thoughts or feedback, please e-mail jessica@bookself.app. I would love to hear how we can improve even more.
