If You Want To Live A Thousand Lives, Read!
I can be an explorer, a vampire, an elephant, a gazelle, a doll, a mountain or a star. When I read a book I can travel and transform. Books allow me to live a thousand lives and learn something new from each of them.
In the 1930s, two Asturians who had settled in Cuba set up a cigar company. The cigar makers had to work very long working days in the factory. To pass the time, one of the workers always read a novel to the rest.
Their favorite novel was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. This story increased the productivity of the workers and ensured that the cigars were of an even higher quality. This is why the cigars were called ‘ Monte Cristo’ after that.
This simple anecdote teaches us that reading gives us wings. Books stimulate our imagination and enable us to live other lives. We can dream of places we don’t know, feel emotions intensely, love people we’ve never met, or even fly.
The benefits of reading
When we read, we not only identify with the different characters in the books, but we can also get to know places we’ve never been and experience habits we’ve never seen. As a result, we develop a greater sensitivity towards our environment and the people around us.
Below we will analyze some of the benefits of reading. These include promoting empathy, creativity and memory. It can even help fight stress or Alzheimer’s, or help develop intelligence and improve your speaking and listening skills.
Reading makes you a more empathetic person
In 2003, several scientists at Emory University compared the brains of readers and non-readers. Their findings showed that, by using their imaginations to understand the emotions of the characters in the books they read, readers were generally more empathetic people.
Reading increases the ability to understand how other people are feeling, which is a fundamental skill for your development. This affects you in several areas, such as friendships, family, romantic relationships and at work.
The habit of reading is good for your memory
Several studies have shown that using your memory too little can make your memory work less well. So the advice is to solve crossword puzzles, figure out sudokus and read, for example, among other activities. There are ways to keep your mental circuits smooth, those circuits that are responsible for memory.
Reading helps us to remember events that happened, people’s situations, conflicts that we have come to know through the books and the lives of the characters that the author of each book shows us. This way of remembering strengthens our intelligence.
Reading contributes to stress reduction
Studies conducted by Dr. Davis Lewis show that reading can reduce stress levels by up to 68%. It also ensures that we can relax more because it slows down our heart rhythm. Just six minutes of reading a day is enough to significantly lower our stress levels.
When we read, our mind transports us to another place. So, for example, if we’ve had a bad day at work, reading can help us disconnect and distract ourselves. Or it will give us the relaxation we need to have a good time and enjoy ourselves without thinking about anything else.
Reading may lower Alzheimer’s risk
Several studies have shown that reading can help lower the risk of Alzheimer’s. It stimulates the brain, causing the brain cells to connect and grow.
In the year 2001, several researchers showed that older people who read regularly or did mental exercises were less likely to develop this disease. So do this simple habit every day and you will train your brain with it.
You will become a better speaker and writer
Reading allows us to become better speakers because through reading we acquire a broader vocabulary and learn new terms. This form of learning makes us write better and converse more easily, using language in favor of what we want to express.
A person who reads has not only lived several lives through the characters in the stories he has read, but readers also have many topics of conversation available and a great capacity to listen to others and observe closely.
You will live and enjoy many lives
By reading you will be able to enjoy the life of an adventurer in the Amazon, or a king in an imaginary land, or an orangutan in the jungle. Each page will flood your soul and make you enjoy as you read. Above all, reading is a great pleasure. It is not expensive at all and moreover accessible to everyone.
In addition, you will not only gain experiences that take place in present times, but also experiences from the past or the future. This is, of course, because books allow us to travel through time and learn all about our ancestors. Also, books can let us know what it will be like in the future. Reading is like dreaming while awake and opening your eyes to thousands of different realities.
