Reading is good for you.
Have you ever heard of the Mathew effect?
“The Matthew effect,” is a term that refers to biblical verse Matthew 13:12: “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Researchers have found that students who read books regularly, especially beginning at a young age, gradually develop large vocabularies. And vocabulary size can influence many areas of your life, from scores on standardized tests to college admissions and job opportunities. But more importantly the larger your vocabulary the more rapidly you can expand your vocabulary. The more you exercise this soft skill, the better you can exercise this soft skill.
It is an intellectual Pareto effect. The more you know, the more you can know.
A 2019 poll conducted by Cengage showed that 69 percent of employers want to hire people with “soft” skills, such as the ability to communicate effectively. Reading books is one of the best ways to increase your exposure to new words, learned in context, communicate them and learn how they are communicated.
In 2009, a group of researchers measured the effects of yoga, humor, and reading on the stress levels of students in demanding health science programs in the United States. They found that 30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga. For everyone who hates to exercise… this is good news for you.
A long-term health and retirement study followed a group of 3,635 adult participants for 12 years, finding that those who read books survived around 2 years longer than those who either didn’t read or consumed other forms of media. Even more profound, the study identified that people who read more than 3 1/2 hours every week were 23 percent likely to live longer than those who didn’t read at all.
All this to say… reading is good for you.
So, why aren’t you reading?
“I don’t have time…”
Okay… I remain a firm believer that everyone can find 30 minutes. Here’s why you should. If you are an average age person. (The average age of all people alive today is about 30.) If you are thirty and spend 30 minutes five out of seven days a week reading you will read for 30 minutes * 5 days / week * 52 weeks a year * 45 years (life expectancy 75) = 351,000 minutes. Seems like a lot right? But that’s not a lot.
351,000 minutes / (60 minutes / hour) / (24 hours / day) / (365 days a year) = 243 days or about 0.66 years.
Would you give up 0.6 years to gain back 2 years? That’s a net gain. And, while living longer you will know more, have an easier time getting a job, be less stressed, … there is only positive here.
What are you waiting for? Get reading!
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