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4 ways reading can improve your life

Discover the benefits of reading, from supporting brain health and vocabulary to easing stress and boosting mental wellness

Aaron Burden / Unsplash

Reading can be a welcome escape: a chance to travel to another world, get swept up in a mystery or spend time with characters who feel like old friends. But the benefits of reading may reach well beyond entertainment. According to Reader’s Digest, making time for books can support thinking skills, vocabulary, stress relief, mental wellness, and may be associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline as we age.

That’s good news for anyone who has meant to read more but hasn’t quite made it a habit. You don’t need to finish a stack of classics or commit to a particular genre to get started. As Reader’s Digest notes, reading can be part of life from childhood through adulthood, and different kinds of reading may offer different benefits.

The evidence also comes with important nuances. Some findings are associations, meaning they don’t prove that reading alone caused a particular outcome. And while one study linked six minutes of reading with reduced stress, that doesn’t mean every book or reading session will have the same effect for everyone.

Still, there are plenty of reasons to pick up a book, magazine or newspaper. Reading can challenge the mind, introduce unfamiliar words and offer a little distance from the pressures of the day. Stories can also help readers connect with characters whose experiences make them feel understood, while reading aloud to children may support language development.

The best part? Getting started can........

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