How Reading a Novel a Month Can Change Your Life

While reading novels has the obvious perk of providing instant entertainment, the mental and physical benefits of reading can last you a lifetime. By challenging yourself to read one novel per month, you can change your life for the better. Below are a few examples of these benefits from Healthline.

Reading Increases Empathy

According to research, fictional reading has been shown to increase one’s ability to understand feelings and beliefs of others. This ability is referred to as “theory of mind,” an essential skill for building and maintaining social relationships.

Reading Prevents Age-Related Cognitive Decline

Seniors who read and solve a math problem every day have been shown to improve their cognitive functions into their later years. They were also less likely to develop lesions, which are found in the brains of memory-impaired patients.

Reduce Stress

Reading for 30 minutes per day lowers blood pressure, heart rate and stress levels as much as doing a session of yoga. Setting aside just a half hour per day to read is a technique that can radically improve your health and well-being, as well as improve your time management skills

Helps Alleviate Depression Symptoms

Reading fictional novels brings readers into the world of the characters, allowing for an escape from the feelings of isolation brought on by depression. For those who prefer non-fiction, self-help books offer tips on depression management and strategies for coping with symptoms. In the United Kingdom, medical professionals actually prescribe self-help books to patients with certain conditions.

In conclusion, reading is a fun way to pass the time, but also improves brain function, social skills, stress management and has many other benefits. Change your life this year by getting into some good books.