If You Want to Live a Thousand Lives, Read

I can be an explorer, a vampire, an elephant, a gazelle, a doll, a mountain or a star. As I read a book, I can travel and transform. Books allow me to live a thousand lives and learn something new from each one of them.

In the 1930s, two Asturians settled in Cuba created a cigar company. In the factory, the cigar makers had very long work days. To pass the time, one of the workers would always read a novel to the rest.

“Let other boast of the pages they have written, I am proud of the ones I have read.”
-Jorge Luis Borges-

The one that they liked the most was The Count of Monte Cristo”by Alexander Dumas. This story made the workers increase their productivity and made the cigars be of even higher quality. That’s why these cigars where thereafter called “Monte Cristo”.

This simple anecdote teaches us that reading gives us wings. Books stimulate our imagination and allow us to live other lives. We can dream of places we don’t know, feel emotions intensely, love people we haven’t met, or even fly.

The benefits of reading

When we read, we don’t only feel identified with the different characters in the books. We can also get to know places we have never been to, experience customs we have never seen. This allows us to have a great sensitivity towards our surroundings and the people around us.

Up next, we’re going to analyze some of the benefits of reading. These include promoting empathy, creativity, and memory. It can even help prevent fight against Alzheimer or stress, or help develop intelligence or the ability to converse and listen.

Reading makes you a more empathetic person

In 2013, various scientists at Emory University compared the brains of readers and non-readers. They found that in the former, by using their imagination to understand the emotions of the characters in the books they read, readers were in a general sense more empathetic people.

Reading increases your ability to understand how other people feel, which is a fundamental skill for your development. This influences you in different areas, such as friendships, family, romantic relationships and at work.

The habit of reading helps improve your memory

Different studies have shown that the lack of memory use makes you start losing your memory skills. Thus, it is advisable to do crossword puzzles, sudokus and to read, among other activities. These are ways to keep your mental circuits greased, the ones which are responsible for memory.

“Reading makes a man whole, his agile and his writing precise.”

-Sir Francis Bacon-

Reading helps us remember events that have happened, people’s situations, conflicts we have gotten to know through books and the lives of the characters that the author of each book shows us. This way of remembering reinforces our intelligence.

Reading contributes to reducing our stress

Based on the studies conducted by Doctor Davis Lewis, reading reduces stress levels by 68%. It also relaxes us by slowing down the heart rate. Only six minutes of reading a day are enough to significantly reduce your stress levels.

When we read, our mind transports us to another place. Thus, if we have had a bad day at work, for example, reading will help us disconnect and distract ourselves. Or it will provide us with the relaxation we need to have a good time and enjoy ourselves without thinking about anything else.

The risk of Alzheimer’s can be reduced by reading

Diverse studies have shown that in order to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, reading can be a good tool. It stimulates the brain, and its cells connect among themselves and grow.

In the year 2001, various researchers showed that older people who read regularly or perform mental exercises are less likely to develop this disease. Therefore, practice this simple habit every day, and you’ll be making your brain exercise.

You’ll learn to be a better public speaker and writer

Reading allows us to be better public speakers, because by reading we acquire vocabulary and learn new terms. This learning allows us to write better and converse with more ease, using the language in favor of what we want to express.

Someone who reads hasn’t only lived various lives through the characters in the stories they have read. Readers also have many topics of conversation available and a great capacity to listen to others and to observe closely.

You will live out and enjoy many lives

By reading, you’ll be able to enjoy the life of an adventurer in the Amazon, of a king in an imaginary country, or of an orangutan in the jungle. Every page will flood your soul, allowing you to enjoy while you read. Reading is, above all, a great pleasure. It isn’t at all expensive and is of easy access to everyone.

Also, you won’t only live out present lives, but also ones in the past or the future. Obviously, because books allow us to travel in time and get to know all about our ancestors. Also, they can let us know what we’ll be like in the future. Reading is like dreaming while you’re awake, and opening your eyes to thousands of different realities.