Check out the following health benefits of reading.

1. Reduces Stress

Get caught up in a great book and all of your thoughts are consumed by its plot and characters. While immersed, your everyday worries and stresses are reduced by 68%, your heart rate slows down and muscle tension is minimized. According to this 2009 study, it’s a proven fact! After a stressful day, consider a good book instead of the television. 

2. Improved memory 

Just like your muscles, your brain loves a good workout. All of the brain’s synapses are firing while reading, leading to improved memory. A recent study showed that elderly people who read regularly are 2.5 times less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease. 

3. Younger Brain

Of course the aging process can’t be totally stopped, but, reading helps to slow it down. This study found that people who read regularly reduce their rate of congnitive decline. So curl up with a good book each night if you want to keep your brain young and spry!

4. Increased Empathy

Reading books can make you a nicer person. Getting emotionally absorbed in a book carries over into real life. This study found that people who regularly immerse themselves in fictional stories are more empathetic. Though the characters ar fictional, relating to their situations causes us to be more open to people in our own lives.

5. Increased Tolerance for Uncertainty

Let’s be honest, we all have struggled with ambiguity or lack of control in personal situations. It can be stressful not knowing the future. Surprisingly, one easy way to cope is to read more. One study showed that reading fiction can cause an increase in tolerance and uncertainty. As we dive deeper into a fictional story and characters, our minds acutally open up and become more comfortable  with possibilities, options and uncertainty.

Intellectual calisthenics are as important for your health as physical calisthenics.