If you’re looking to change your lifestyle and improve your life, you’ve probably come across the many benefits of reading self-improvement articles online. But what articles should you read? How can you tell if an article is worth your time? Here are 10 benefits of reading articles that will change your lifestyle, based on the mamamia website and its contributing writers’ expertise and opinions on how to live better and more productively.
Reading Offers An Escape
Reading is an activity that puts our minds at ease. It allows us to escape into another world, be it one of fiction or one we create in our own mind. With all our techie advancements these days, it can feel like everything has become so instant and disposable. But good old-fashioned books still have value; they might not have any extras like apps, but they certainly offer an escape—not just from reality, but also from stress.
All you need is a book and your imagination. And once you begin reading, you may even find new outlets for creativity in other areas of life as well!
Reading Makes You Smarter
A study revealed how everyday reading such as news, newspapers, and even fiction can make you smarter by speeding up cognitive development and increasing memory. Researchers found after only three months of daily reading over six weeks, adults between 55 and 85 years old experienced an average 3.6-point IQ score increase on a standard test.
Although they don’t know why increased mental activity boosts intelligence, experts believe it increases brain volume and blood flow to parts of the brain that deal with learning and memory retention. They also say it could be due to regular exposure to new vocabulary words or expanded information surrounding a particular topic(s).
Improves Critical Thinking Skills
It’s easy to get caught up in a routine and do something simply because you’ve always done it. It may not be for any specific reason, but at some point, you just decide that it works well enough, or it’s easier to just stick with what you know. It helps keeps things simple. So why break out of it? Why bother questioning if there might be a better way?
Learning from others—reading thoughtful pieces from authors who challenge their own routines and really dig into topics—helps develop critical thinking skills and ultimately makes us more aware of how we live our lives. Critical thinking also improves self-awareness by making us take stock of our habits, examining them for good and bad, and deciding which ones to keep around and which ones need an overhaul.
Improves Long-Term Memory
Reading is a great way to exercise our memory. By exposing ourselves to long and involved pieces, we’re able to engage our long-term memory, which then makes it easier for us to recall information in other contexts. For example, if you read a news story about an event in another city, you may find yourself thinking back on it when discussing current events with friends. This allows you to recall details even though they weren’t explicitly mentioned again within your social circle.
Increases Creativity And Imagination
You’ve heard stories about kids who grew up in boring environments, then when they grew up and had children of their own, they were unable to connect with them as a parent. Maybe it’s because these parents never learned to play as children themselves. Maybe it’s because they didn’t have any brothers or sisters growing up and wanted different (and more) types of relationships than those they experienced while they were growing up. Maybe their parents always focused on work or other obligations rather than spending time playing with them when they were young…
The point is: You need to be able to imagine and play if you want to be able to connect with people – even yourself! Try out some interesting new experiences, watch movies or read articles that challenge you mentally. The possibilities are endless.
Spoken Word Improves
Spoken word is a great way to improve or maintain your writing skills. An important part of public speaking is connecting with and holding attention. By writing down what you are going to say, and having people critique it for you, you’ll be building those skills without even knowing it.
Spoken word events tend to get pretty competitive too, which means you’ll be practicing your competitive spirit as well. And if nothing else, spoken word challenges can give you a lot more confidence in your ability to express yourself both verbally and in writing. So whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, spoken word challenges are definitely something worth looking into!
Improve Vocabulary And Spelling
By regularly reading interesting and engaging content, you’ll expand your vocabulary and discover new words (sometimes by accident). And if you’re anything like me, when you come across a word you don’t know, it piques your interest and makes you want to learn more. The same goes for new phrases—if you read them in context, they’ll eventually become commonplace.
Furthermore, being exposed to different styles of writing helps you develop a better understanding of what constitutes effective and poor grammar. In addition to helping broaden your vocabulary and improve spelling, staying current with media trends has a positive effect on professional development.
Reading Improves Your Public Speaking Skills
Even when you’re busy, setting aside just 15 minutes every day to read a single new factoid or learn something new can have a powerful impact on your motivation. This is because learning new things changes how we view ourselves and what’s possible in our lives. Studies show that people who learn new things, even small facts, are more likely to believe in their own potential and move forward with life-changing behaviors than those who don’t.
Learning New Things Motivates You To Achieve More In Life
Do you know how they say learning something new is like taking a mini-vacation? It’s not just because you’re in a comfortable environment. Studies show adults who learn new things do better at tasks, have improved problem-solving skills, and are able to communicate more effectively. A little knowledge goes a long way. So read on!
Conclusion
Reading articles that inspire and educate can change your life for the better. In order to keep you motivated, we have compiled a list of reasons why reading articles is good for you and can improve your lifestyle in multiple ways. We hope this mamamia will do just that, keep you motivated to continue reading and learning even more. So don’t put off another day by reading articles and losing yourself in yet another fascinating world. Get started today!
