Written by Natalie Basiuk, follow her on LinkedIn.

Why Is Reading Important When We Have Latest Technologies to Entertain Us?

Why is reading important? More and more people start Googling this question, and it says a lot about our modern trends and tendencies. Considering how vital social networks, video games, movies, and other entertainment types have become, it’s not surprising that reading has lost its appeal. But does reality reflect this belief, or did people simply stop discussing it as often?

Even superficial research shows that there are still millions of avid readers around the world. Literature is undergoing constant important changes, and the number of its genres and kinds continues to grow at an impressive speed. If you have any interest in reading, you’ll be curious to see the top ten benefits it brings to bookworms!

Why is Reading Good for You? Ten Relevant Reasons

Physical copies of books have been replaced by e-readers. It means that reading has become easier: people don’t have free space for endless books in their apartment, and there is no need to carry heavy volumes with them. But why should they read in the first place? Why does everyone talk about its importance? Here are ten reasons that’ll make it clear!

1) Reading enhances our life experience.  Some of us lead sheltered lives; others might have it rough, but even then, it’s impossible to experience everything at once. With books, you can gain vital experience while staying safe. Stories about grief, break-up, first love, traveling, being kidnapped or attacked could contribute to it. What is the importance of reading books like this? You undergo the same emotions as characters, learning the same lessons but not losing anything yourself. In real life, when you encounter similar situations, you could feel more prepared to face them.

2) It lets people stay close to their favorite movie or TV show characters. Fanfiction is gaining popularity. It’s a type of literature created by fans: it is based on the already existing popular media pieces. For example, do you love Killing Eve and are sad to see it come to an end? Head over to sites like AO3, Fanfiction.net, or Wattpad, & jump back into the hectic lives of the main characters!

3) It stimulates your critical thinking. Why is it important to read? It could help you become a better thinker. When you’re focused on intricate plots, you spend some time, solving riddles and trying to predict what is about to happen, building theories, and collecting evidence. These skills are transferred to real life.

4) It improves your writing skills & vocabulary. The more you read, the better you write. It’s a fact that should encourage everyone to do it! You’ll get better at writing college essays or even your own stories. Your vocabulary will become richer, too — before you know it, you will be using a far more sophisticated language than you do now. That’s important for studying, career, life in general.

5) Reading saves money & develops career options. Is there any activity that you pay for often? Spending more time turning pages over could give essential knowledge. For example, in case you need professional Chinese translation services constantly, you might want to consider learning the language yourself. After you get the basics, start with short fictional stories. They’ll help you understand Chinese. Similarly, you might improve your CV by adding a language or two into it!

6) It reduces your stress. Reading is important because it serves as a great source of distraction. If people feel down for any reason, if they are tired or upset, opening a new book could take them on an unforgettable adventure! Very quickly, their thoughts will become lighter, and they’ll forget about their troubles for a while.

7) It allows us to find our niche. Reading could be largely inspiring. Every person has their unique tastes and preferences, and luckily, there are many types of literature to choose from. Let’s imagine you’re interested in software translation services: take a look at technical-focused literature and learn more information about them. If someone loves art, they could find numerous volumes about individual artists or artwork collections. That’s why reading books is important: it allows people to pick the type they love most and focus on it. The same goes for pure fiction: if your fantasy is rich, you’ll appreciate exciting journeys of cold, arrogant, soft, mature, and childish characters.

8) It helps cope with trauma. Some people suffer from traumatic events that took place in their past. Is reading important for them? Absolutely! Books could become their best friends. They could find characters they relate to, someone who experienced the same thing as they did & managed to overcome it. Such people could gain a new perspective by looking at similar events, and they could become inspired to write their own stories. It doesn’t matter whether they do it for themselves or if they publish it — writing could be deeply therapeutic, and reading is a big part of it.

9) It improves your memory. How important is reading from the point of education? You’d be surprised! It has the power to enhance readers’ memory in unexpected ways. When you follow a story with many characters, you learn their names, details of their physical appearance, their backgrounds, and endless combinations of relationships they have. Once a person finishes one literary work, they usually start another, and yet years later, they still remember the events of those stories which they like. You might not even notice it, but because of this, very gradually, your memory will be expanding. You’ll see these results both in your studies and in your personal life.

10) It is simply entertaining. Why do we read in the first place? Because it’s fun! Sure, reading has many important benefits, but if it was useless in terms of education, career, etc., the fact that it brings us joy is already more than enough. To read a book means to start exploring a new universe, getting to know its characters, and distancing yourself from the actual world. It is a nice opportunity to have an excellent time, cozying up in your bed or armchair with a cup of hot tea and a book that makes your heart beat faster.  

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Individual Importance of Reading: Be Proud of the Book You Like

No matter how strange this might seem, some people are embarrassed about their love for reading. Some are hiding the fact that they read fanfiction; others do not admit that they like romance novels or something as publicly ridiculed as Twilight or 50 Shades of Gray. Cultivation of this embarrassment is deeply toxic: there’s nothing wrong with whatever genre we prefer. No one feels ashamed of pouring thousands into football tickets or developing games and needing game localization services — people pay huge amounts of money for it. 

Why should a far cheaper hobby be shameful? Embrace what you read. If it pleases you, then it doesn’t matter what important critics or people say. You do you — don’t let someone’s harshness affect your enjoyment. Even an objectively terrible book is still better than dozens of hobbies that promote violence yet hold public appreciation. Being happy is the best life outcome, so read what you enjoy!

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Learned Why Reading Is Important? Start Looking for Books!

Now that you learned what makes reading important and exciting, start looking for new books. What sounds good to you? Fantasy, romance, drama, historical or non-fiction stories — the choice is endless! Don’t fight against your preferences. Even if you are becoming a specialist in technical document translation, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun and enjoy fiction, delving into new worlds, and exploring characters. Similarly, if you’re a fiction writer yourself, you could still enjoy technical literature and never touch a fictional book in your life. The world of reading is vast, and everyone can find their perfect match. It’ll make you happy, excited, and that’s exactly why you should read.