Reading Literature as a Pathway to Success

Feel like you need to get your life together? You might want to pick up a book.

Books transport us to new worlds, enthrall us with new perspectives, and make us feel good about ourselves when we take the time to read them. As a leisurely pastime, reading is pretty great. However, the payback from indulging in a decent book is much more than a relaxing evening spent on the sofa.

Recent studies from Emory University and The New School in New York City suggest that the benefits of taking time out to read consistently are unquantifiable, and that one can adopt the traits of a successful person by simply reading a book.

Developing leadership qualities

According to researchers, reading regularly reduces stress levels, increases our concentration, and develops our ability to think analytically. These all are all key qualities that lead to success — and, more importantly, happiness.

While immersing the mind in engaging text increases brain activity, its calming effect on the mind results in improved sleep quality. Reading directly affects sleep, which in itself ties into performance at school, the office, and in almost all daily endeavors.

As we read and process language in the form of stories, we are able to make connections between characters, plots, motives, and foreshadowing. The richer a novel is with dense language and literary devices, like metaphor and allusion, the greater the impact on our brains.

As we navigate through the complexities of a good read, we spark synapses and train the brain, preparing ourselves for real life situations that require thoughtful analysis, critical thinking, and creativity.

Furthermore, reading helps up become more empathetic towards others. As we relate to protagonists in novels, we begin to find ourselves becoming more understanding towards people we work with in reality.

A good read can actually have an enduring effect on our brains — up to five days of increased neural activity after completing an engaging book, researchers found. This effect is a detectable, tangible impact of what we take away from reading books — an experience that lasts, and ultimately shapes our attitude and treatment towards others when translated into valuable people skills.

Detriments of digital media

Of course, these benefits aren’t attached to just any kind of reading.

Skimming through online articles (which are often designed for short attention spans) does not require critical thinking, and staring at bright electronic screens can actually increase stress levels in the brain.

While we ride the social media carousel, jumping from news feed, to tweet, to click-bait, and back again, we spread ourselves too thin, dividing our focus on a variety of outlets that don’t bring us anything substantial to digest.

However, compared to the embellished articles and the transient amusements of the internet, reading may appear dull, esoteric, unproductive — or a hapless combination of the three.

On the flip side, reading something with substance — like a good book — introduces benefits beyond what can be procured by casual web browsing and bombarding your brain with trivialities, trifles, and other vacuous tidbits off the internet. Meritless web surfing, as a daily dose of literacy, is a travesty.

Importance of regular reading

By immersing yourself in a substantial text for as little as 20 minutes a day, you, too, could enjoy the endless benefits of a sharper mind — and reap the benefits of health, happiness, and success. The real obstacle lies in taking the time to consistently detach ourselves from the rest of the world just to read.

It doesn’t sound like much — 20 minutes is less than the time it takes to watch an episode of The Office. If binge-watching TV is so effortless, why is it so hard to spend a fraction of that time on reading a book? In the digital age, it’s important to find the time to cleanse ourselves of electronic amusements and dependencies, and to instead seek outlets that enable healthy practices to reinvigorate our minds every now and then.

Bookselves is here to help.

The Bookselves app comes in handy, because it makes reading a community endeavor. After finishing one book, you’re off to the next. Instead of reading in isolation, you’re able to find other like-minded readers, making it easier to discuss books and find friends to encourage you and keep you on track.

Bookselves helps you grow into reading, and at your own pace. Soon enough, you’ll realize that reading is a pleasurable addiction that reforms the way you experience the world.