Read to improve your health
It all stems from the balance of those stress hormones I talked about in my last post. People who love to read can reduce their stress at will simply by choosing their reading material wisely. Unlike people who unwind by watching TV where you are bombarded with images, advertising, and carefully targeted social messages, people who read for pleasure have more control over the amount of stimulus they are receiving because they are better able to control their involvement in the story. It doesn't appear to matter what you are reading either. Fiction, fine literature, non-fiction, scientific journals, smut novels, whatever you like as long as you enjoy it.
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Images, once seen, can be very powerful and produce an instant and lasting stress response in the body: increased heart rate, increased adrenaline, and increased cortisol. However images, once imagined, can be controlled, edited, and don't ellicit the same stress response in the body. It's less stressful to read something scary than to see something scary.
Research is also showing that people who read for pleasure tend to read more in general: they read more food labels, they research questions online, they feel more comfortable questioning 'facts' and more confident in their ability to discern what is right for them as opposed to following a trend.
Lower blood pressure, higher IQ, better quality sleep, better concentration, more confidence, and better judgement. All because I love to read! If that isn't a healthy habit, I don't know what is.
Read any good books lately? I love to hear what other people are reading. I have just finished re-reading all of Jen Lancaster's autobiographies in anticipation of Pretty in Plaid coming out in paperback this week!
7 comments:
It's funny that you write this because I was just telling the ladies in my book club about a "stressful" experience I had reading The Kite Runner. There was one scene in that book that was so well written and vivid that I actually felt like I could see what was happening and feel the helplessness of the character. Until that point, I'd never had my heartbeat faster from reading a book.
Those are all good reasons for reading more for pleasure. If only I had the time....
Karen I had the same reaction when I read A Fine Balance. Oh, and Salem's Lot by Stephen King...
Genie I don't have any research at all to back me up...but...I wonder how many of the benefits of reading you can get from listening to books on CD or podcasts??
I just shared this post on my facebook! I sure hope that reading makes me calmer and healthier :)
http://shadowkissedcassie.blogspot.com/
I found your picture, so I put it up on pinterest, because I also love to read. Thank you for writing about reading!!
Do you like mysteries? I love the Maisie Dobbs books by Jacqueline Winspear.
Post a Comment