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If you’ve ever cracked open a book you couldn’t put down, you know the power of a good story. If you’ve never had that experience, or if it’s been a while, now is a great time to dive into a story. Reading can not only make you smarter and a better speller, but it can also make you happier.
A good book can take your mind off of the day’s stress
No matter how much you enjoy your job, you’re probably exhausted by the end of the day. Working full-time can be stressful, even when you get paid well and have relatively easy responsibilities. If you normally come home and watch television or play video games, try reading a book instead. It takes a little more effort, but there are many rewards. For example, getting lost in a story can take your mind off whatever has you feeling stressed and replace it with good feelings.
Once you get into a story and start to resonate with the main characters in some way, all distractions will disappear and you’ll be completely focused on the story you’re immersed within. Reading has been proven to reduce stress by up to 68%, and that’s great for your health. Relaxing for a long period of time will help to release the day’s stress by moving your body out of fight or flight mode. At that point, you’ll stop producing stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline.
You can learn something new
Reading is one of the best ways to learn new things. When you read a book, you’re not being fed content by a social media algorithm designed to give you more of what you already know and agree with. Social media feeds are basically echo chambers determined by algorithms that intentionally omit differing views. If you spend most of your time on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms, you’re not going to be exposed to much of anything new, which means there is no opportunity to learn.
On the other hand, when you pick up a book, especially a novel, you might not even know what viewpoints are contained within – and that’s the best part. When you browse available books, you have more options to choose from, and you can intentionally pick a book that will be a learning experience. When you learn new things, you grow as a person. You’ll also train yourself to be more empathetic toward others, which will greatly enrich your relationships. All of this can make you a happier person overall.
If you enjoy learning new things by reading other people’s books, you should also consider publishing your own book. Everyone has something important to say, even if it’s an expression of poetry, prose, or nonfiction. Your story has the potential to impact other people’s lives in a positive way.
A story with a happy ending can leave you feeling elated
For some reason, positive endings have been lost on the big screen. Today, most of us are used to movies that leave you hanging or end with the bad guys winning. Sometimes it’s understandable because it’s a setup for a sequel, but sometimes it’s just the director’s creative choice. Either way, if you’re not walking out of a movie theater feeling elated, you’re getting cheated.
Reading a book with a happy ending can have the opposite effect and counteract the negativity of being disappointed by how some movies end. Since most books get reviewed by a lot of people, you’ll get a sense of which books have happy endings, and you can choose accordingly.
You’ll build your vocabulary
Most people learn new words by reading, including proper spelling and tenses. This can be learned through repetition, but it’s not as effective. If you want to increase your vocabulary and learn new words, reading is an excellent tool.
Since books are written at varying levels, you can read material as advanced as you want. For instance, you might like reading technical content to learn industry terms, or you may just want to read classics that use words most people have forgotten today, like chork, throttlebottom, and widdershins.
Read and be happy!
Although reading isn’t a magic happy pill, it can boost your mood, reduce stress, and make life more enjoyable. Go to your local bookstore and browse until you find a book that speaks to you. You just might end up with a new favorite story!
