Whether you’re a long-time avid reader or just starting out with your first book, there are plenty of advantages connected to reading that will make you appreciate books even more. The following ten are some of the most prominent and valuable life skills that you’re guaranteed to get.

1. IMPROVED SOCIAL/COMMUNICATION SKILLS

A good imagination is one half of leading a productive conversation – the other is a rich vocabulary. Each individual book will give you plenty of examples of expressing your thoughts and constructing meaningful sentences. You’ll find it much easier to put your feelings and emotions into words which can boost your self-confidence. Effective communication is especially important in job interviews, where you’ll have to handle complex social relationships.

2. LESS STRESS

When reading books, you immerse yourself in the story, essentially disconnecting yourself from daily life. A study showed reduced stress levels of up to 70% after just 6 minutes of reading. You never know when a book will present a potential solution to your problems. Also, a few pages before going to sleep can help you rest much better than if you were browsing your phone.

3. DEVELOPED EMPATHY

Being able to relate to others is an important factor in building empathy. Experiencing hundreds of different realities that characters go through helps you understand how they’re feeling and gives you an insight into their thought process. When you deepen your comprehension with books, it’s going to transfer into real life.

4. BETTER CONCENTRATION

During reading, your brain is actively working every second. To fully immerse yourself in the book and follow the story, you have to redirect your focus to it. Many beginners struggle with this aspect, often being unable to read for more than a couple of minutes. Over time, you get better at concentrating which you’ll be able to notice in other situations as well.

5. BOOSTED COGNITIVE CAPABILITIES

The longer the book, the more information you have to store in your mind. Organizing all of that in order to connect the dots is a form of mental exercise. You predict what’s going to happen in the following chapters and make conclusions based on your current knowledge. This skill is applicable in everyday problem-solving,

6. IMPROVED TOLERANCE AND UNDERSTANDING

With all the different characters, you get a different view of their situation. As they explain their way of thinking, you realize what they base their approaches on. This widens your horizons and plays a big part in building your personality. Improved tolerance is a direct result of lower stress levels from reading books.

7. REDUCED INTELLECTUAL DECLINE

Keeping your brain activity slows down the development of brain plaque and lesions which are connected with Alzheimer’s disease. This works in the same way as with physical exercise that keeps your body healthy and in top shape. Although reading is important regardless of your age, it seems to become gradually more vital as you get older.

8. ENHANCED VOCABULARY

You’re likely to encounter at least a few unfamiliar words in every single book you read. Then, you’re going to research what they mean, and before you know it, you’ll use them in a sentence. You’ll be better at expressing yourself when you have more words to choose from. As a result, books are a great resource to learn new languages.

9. BETTER WRITING SKILLS

Besides improving your speech, books make you better at writing essays. This is directly caused by the previous skill since the expression is noticeable both in writing and in direct communication. Reading sentences from classic novels gives you an idea of how to better structure your own texts. This isn’t limited to certain forms of writing – even your emails are going to be more fluent and easier to read.

10. LONGER ATTENTION SPAN

Reading regularly has been shown to improve attention span and overall quality of life. This is why books are considered to be the best and healthiest form of entertainment – way more useful than movies or video games.

To maximize the benefits that reading books bring, it’s important to learn how to love reading. This comes with experience and dedication, and even if you’re starting out, it’s better to go through one page than none at all. As long as you keep going, you’ll notice the results eventually.