What does reading do for a person? What are the benefits of reading books? A list of books that every person should read. Impact on "dormant" areas of the brain

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What does reading books give a person? What advantages does reading have over other available leisure activities?

Surely, many of us have learned an unshakable truth since childhood - reading books is useful. But to whom and why is not entirely clear. What does reading books give to a person? What is their advantage over other sources of information? And, if it really exists, then why do people read so little now?

The modern world and the desire to walk (and sometimes run) in step with the times and fashion make adjustments to our lives. Whether we like it or not. And now it’s not uncommon to prefer an evening in front of the TV or a computer “shooter” to a dear volume of world classics. And the necessary information can be “fished out” from other sources - audio castes, films, media, various webinars, and just notes from the World Wide Web. In addition, there may simply not be enough time to read books, even with a great desire. So it turns out that nowadays, more and more often, people answer the question: “What book are you reading now?” They answer: “I don’t read books.” This is especially true for the younger generation, who literally from the maternity hospital are surrounded by many convenient gadgets.

The question is controversial. On the one hand, positive visual examples of “reading” relatives and friends can certainly awaken anyone’s interest in reading. And especially for a developing person. But what to do if in the library of your parents’ house there are only “Russian-English Dictionary” and “How to Hammer a Nail” on the shelves? And does the child see mom and dad reading glossy magazines and the yellow press at most? It is unlikely that he will show interest in world classics of literature, right?

And the phrase: “They should teach him at school!” - not an excuse. They will teach you, not a single schoolchild has ever received a certificate without knowing how to read in principle. But “to be able to” and “to actively use” are frankly different things. And especially in relation to books.

The older generation has its own legitimate “excuses.” The first and main thing is lack of time. Undoubtedly, modern man is very busy. But there is only one “but” here - according to statistics, the most successful people read a lot. Always. Are you saying they are less busy than everyone else? This question is not here to offend or provoke anyone - no, this is just food for thought. And, as always, only you have the right to decide what to do with it.

What is it about reading books? Let's take a closer look..

Scientists identify 10 main reasons why reading books is a very useful and important activity for a person:

1. Improved imagination and increased creativity. When reading books, we ourselves draw a picture of everything that happens in the plot. Words take on new life, transforming in our imagination. In our head we “picture” the sounds, images, and smells of the story we are reading. Such exercises miraculously train the brain, namely its “creative muscles.”

In addition, reading “other people’s” works can provoke us to generate new ideas. It is not so important whether it is the idea to write some kind of work yourself or invent something new, or whether an idea will simply come as an impetus to solve a long-standing problem. The main thing is that these ideas can help change your life. And, perhaps, the lives of other people too.

2. Good mental health. According to scientists, reading can slow down and even prevent serious problems such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease. And all because when reading, the brain is constantly in good shape, it is active, that is, in essence, this is the same exercise for it as physical training is for the body. Those people who have read a lot throughout their lives later begin to notice age-related declines in mental abilities and memory compared to their “non-reading” peers.

In addition, the rhythm and richness of the book can calm the psyche and help the body free itself from stress. This is especially relevant now, because a huge number of people experience stressful situations every day.

3. Confidence in yourself and your abilities. Researchers have found that reading books helps people become more confident. It is not surprising, because a well-read person is usually erudite, able to demonstrate fundamental knowledge in a particular area in a conversation, as a result of which he involuntarily begins to behave more collectedly and confidently, his self-esteem is at an adequate level.

4. Increasing vocabulary and improving overall literacy levels. There's probably no need for a long explanation here. When reading works of various genres, a person often encounters unfamiliar words and terminology that is usually not used in everyday communication. You can look up the meaning of a word in a dictionary, or you can simply understand it from the context.

5. Good dream. According to researchers, systematically reading pleasant literature before bed can improve sleep. And this is understandable, because the body gets used to this regime, and soon reading becomes a signal for the body that bedtime is approaching. In addition, after such a soft fall asleep, you will be much more alert in the morning.

6. Improved attention and ability to concentrate. In the modern world, we are accustomed to constantly combining several things, dividing attention between the Internet, telephone, communication with other people and a host of other things. But thanks to this division, the quality of a particular process is often lost, and the ability to concentrate on one single particularly important matter is lost. When reading, we must concentrate on the content of the book, without being distracted by everything else. In addition, reading books helps develop objectivity and the ability to make informed decisions.

7. Development of memory and thinking. According to scientists, people who regularly read books, at least for one hour a day, train and improve their memory. Naturally, every day they remember some new information for themselves. Those who are exposed to the same environment, information and ideas every day do not train their memory, and, therefore, are not able to remember more.

In addition, to understand the book and further unfold the plot, you need to remember many things: the characters’ characters, their relationships, and other details. This greatly trains both memory and thinking. When reading a book, we tend to think more, imagine many details in our imagination: the appearance of the characters, their clothes, the surrounding stop. All this helps us to fully understand the very idea of ​​the work, to get a “taste” of it. Reading books develops analytical thinking. People who read see and identify patterns many times faster than “non-readers.” Thanks to reading books, our mind becomes sharper, stronger and faster, brain connections are strengthened, and intelligence in general increases.

8. Development of sociability and empathy. Reading books also improves our speech skills; the ability to beautifully, clearly and clearly express our thoughts in words appears. The talent of a storyteller increases, communication becomes simpler and easier. People who read have a much better chance of becoming interesting conversationalists and impressing people than those who don't list reading as one of their favorite things to do. Of course, because the former always have many new topics for conversation, drawn from literature.

In addition, reading can instill in a person a tendency to empathize with other people. There is a unique chance to “walk in the shoes” of another person, to look at the world through his eyes, to see his feelings and thoughts. Even (and even more so) if his world is very different from yours. A person who reads stops looking at everything that happens from one point - he becomes able to better feel others and empathize with them.

9. Expanding your horizons. Of course, books can give a person a huge amount of new knowledge! The world of a non-reader is usually small. After all, any other sources of information, even more popular ones, are capable of providing small grains of all the knowledge that is around you. Reading books reveals to a person all the greatness of the world, as it really is.

People who don't like to read books live only one life - their own. Book lovers have free access to a huge number of lives of real and fictional characters, can live with them their feelings and experience everything that they experienced. There is a unique chance to learn from the life experiences and lessons of other people. This in no way interferes with acquiring your own experience - on the contrary, by observing cause-and-effect relationships in a particular work, you can prevent yourself from making mistakes.

Also, reading books is the second most informative way (after travel) to learn about the culture and life of other peoples and countries. Reading literature about different countries helps to discover, in fact, a new world, here in your cozy chair, without crossing the threshold of your home.

10. Self improvement. Among other things, reading books can help a person understand himself and learn a lot of new things about himself. He can find unexpected solutions and take a fresh look at his life. Putting yourself in the place of the hero of the work and asking yourself the question: “What would I do in the place of this character?”, You can get an unexpected answer. And often you even get a hint on practical aspects of behavior.

By reading books, a person over time forms his own worldview, his view of the world deepens and expands, values, beliefs and principles are revised and formed. Many books can motivate and inspire self-realization, improving oneself, and increasing one’s results. In addition, a person who reads remains young for a long time - after all, old age begins with the aging of the brain, and this does not threaten a keen reader!

Of course, here we have named only the most popular reasons that motivate a person to read books. Surely you have your own secrets about this. Maybe you just love that meditative state, close to weightlessness, when you are absorbed by an interesting work. Or you're looking for plot ideas for your new book. Everyone finds their own reasons that are important to them. The main thing is that the book brings joy and pleasure, gives strength and a taste of magic. Isn't this a miracle invented for the benefit of all mankind?

Anna Kutyavina

A person receives most of all information through reading. Of course, this is not only reading books or newspapers, but, for example, news on the Internet, updates on a social network, or even SMS.

Thanks to reading, a person learns the news, reads letters, can read the name of a store, a prescription for a medicine, an instruction manual for a device, a name on an election ballot, and much, much more. Without the ability to read, a person becomes helpless. Reading allows a person to live fully.

Books are probably the most important component of reading, because it is in books that we gain the life experience that will be useful to us in life. In books, we can live someone else’s life, analyze it for mistakes or, conversely, brilliant decisions. In the future, we will be able to use this knowledge in our lives.

Of course, it is advisable to read interesting and informative books. I can recommend my favorite books. They are more suitable for teenage boys. These are: “The Martian Chronicles”, Ray Bradbury, “The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain”, Jules Verne, “The Three Musketeers”, Alexandre Dumas, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn”, Mark Twain, “White Fang”, Jack London, “Robinson Crusoe” , Daniel Dafoe, “Divergent”, Veronica Roth, “The Maze Runner”, James Dashner and “Gentlemen and Players”, Joanne Harris.

For girls, the list of books is as follows (my sister and her friends helped me compile it): “The Lovely Bones”, Ellis Sebold, “The Hunger Games”, Suzanne Collins, “Twilight”, Stephenie Meyers, “Pride and Prejudice”, Jane Austen, “ Eat, Pray, Love”, Elizabeth Gilbert, “Jane Eyre”, Charlotte Brontë, “The 100”, Cass Morgan, “My Best Enemy”, Eli Frey and “Scarlet Sails”, Alexander Greene.

Of course, this is a very small list, but if you want to immerse yourself in the magical world of reading, then for starters, this is very cool, in my opinion.

Why our future depends on libraries, reading and imagination

A great article by writer Neil Gaiman about the nature and benefits of reading. This is not just a vague reflection, but a very clear and consistent proof of seemingly obvious things.

If you have math friends who ask you why read fiction, give them this text. If you have friends who convince you that soon all books will become electronic, give them this text. If you remember trips to the library with fondness (or vice versa with horror), read this text. If you have growing children, read this text with them, and if you are just thinking about what and how to read with children, even more so, read this text.

It is important for people to explain which side they are on.. A kind of declaration of interests.

So, I'm going to talk to you about reading and how reading fiction and reading for pleasure is one of the most important things in a person's life.

And I'm obviously very biased, because I'm a writer, a writer of literary texts. I write for both children and adults. I've been making my living through words for about 30 years now, mostly by creating things and writing them down. Of course, I am interested in people reading, in people reading fiction, in having libraries and librarians to promote the love of reading and the existence of places where one can read. So I'm biased like writer. But I'm much more biased as reader.

About the benefits of reading. Social video

Nikolay Grigoriev: National security and the benefits of reading

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When there are some unresolved problems, or you just want to relax and get a charge of pleasant emotions, a person takes a book and starts reading.

The reader begins to “immerse” more and more in the story if it is written in a talented and interesting way. It’s as if he’s really swimming in a huge boat, with round portholes from floor to ceiling, and huge sperm whales are frolicking in the thick water, permeated by the sun’s rays.

While reading a book, you can “merge” into one with the hero of the book, who unexpectedly discovered paranormal abilities in himself and began to travel into the unknown. Reading the book, you can doubt whether the world in which you live is so real.

Experience and self-development

You gain experience by reading books. And the more you resemble the hero of the book, the more clearly his mistakes and achievements are remembered. In real life, you involuntarily begin to structure your own behavior in such a way as to prevent the mistakes that he made.

A good book is like a kind and intelligent interlocutor. In the process of reading, you seem to communicate and consult. What do the characters in the book do? Why? You begin to think about what you yourself would do in the situations described. You grow by trying to figure out what could be done. The more a book involves you in the process of thinking about different situations, the more it helps you understand the reasons for your own behavior.

Books give knowledge. There are cases when people sentenced to many years in prison began to read constantly, and with the help of books alone they learned foreign languages, or became outstanding scientists.

Forgiving yourself

A good book also helps you forgive yourself. You see that the hero of the book is doing the wrong thing. He also sometimes “stumbles”, just like you in life. But from the plot of the story it is clear that the character you sympathize with is a very good person, he is sincerely trying to correct mistakes. And therefore you forgive him. And by forgiving, you “forgive” your own sins. At least stop constantly judging yourself for them. Become kinder and more humane, more compassionate towards others.

Joy and happiness

By empathizing with the characters of the book, the reader is emotionally involved in the plot. When a happy ending comes, he experiences a feeling of relief and happiness. And for some time he receives psychological relief and peace of mind.

Now reading is the most used way of transmitting information, and the book is its carrier. However, this has always been the case, at all times. Therefore, it is important and even necessary to get carried away with reading, because it is not without reason that they say: “If you have the information, you have the situation.” But what is the benefit of reading, and is there any at all? Firstly, constant reading trains the brain. When you read, the way you perceive the world changes: you begin to fantasize, create certain “book” images (places, people, events). In addition, books improve memory, broaden horizons, and change spelling. Yes, yes, that’s right: when you read, your visual memory works, which will prevent you from making mistakes in texts in the future. Also, frequent reading teaches you to concentrate on a book, or anything else in general, and increases perseverance and mood. Secondly, with reading books, your vocabulary increases, a special way of thinking appears, due to which thoughts are clearly expressed and easily formulated. You can see this for yourself: just read some classic work. After this, anyone (even those who previously “couldn’t put two words together”) will notice how much easier it has become to express their own thoughts using words. He will notice how it has become easier to express himself and choose words. He will notice that various parasitic words are leaving his vocabulary. Thirdly, reading is simply an interesting activity. It is thanks to him that you can find new interlocutors, friends, like-minded people or topics for conversation with them. Book lovers are also very friendly, it’s always easy to communicate with them. You can enjoy your free time, while improving your mood and getting inspired. As a last resort, just enjoy a conversation with the author or his story, story. Reading does not get boring, does not become insipid: there are a lot of books, and each of them is unique in its own way. And finally, fourth: each reading process is, in fact, a small journey, in time or distance. The book simply breaks through various time frames and restrictions. Only with its help can you feel and understand the thoughts of thousands of writers from different eras and times. Isn't this amazing? Just reading will make it clear how Defoe thought, what kind of outlook Wells had, and what puzzled Jansson. Just reading will allow us to feel, understand, experience the writer, even if he is already dead. It is for this reason that any book, even not very old, is a real “time machine”, the use of which can change your whole life. In general, reading is an integral process at the stages of formation of an adult personality. A process that begins in infancy, when a child is read aloud by his parents and relatives. And ending with adulthood, during the experience of personal problems and spiritual growth, when literature saves from depression, sets morality and ideals. Books and reading have a huge influence on all of us and shape us. They make us human. This is all their benefit!