6 Research-Backed Benefits of Reading More

Books have the power to transport us to unfamiliar worlds, introduce us to new characters, and evoke emotions we may never experience otherwise. In addition, reading brings numerous health perks. Here are six scientific reasons to make reading a regular habit.

Reading helps reduce stress.

In 2009, researchers at the University of Sussex in the UK investigated how various activities impacted stress levels by monitoring heart rates and muscle tension. They found that reading a book or newspaper for only six minutes reduced stress by 68 percent—more effective than walking (42 percent), drinking tea or coffee (54 percent), or listening to music (61 percent). The authors suggested that reading's ability to fully immerse and distract the reader makes it an ideal stress reliever.

Reading (especially books) could potentially extend your life.

Reading enhances your vocabulary and broadens your understanding of the world.

In the 1990s, reading expert Keith Stanovich and his team conducted numerous studies to explore the connection between cognitive abilities, vocabulary, knowledge, and exposure to both fiction and nonfiction authors. They used the Author Recognition Test (ART), a reliable indicator of reading proficiency. Stanovich explained to Mytour that, on average, these studies revealed that avid readers, as assessed by the ART, possessed a vocabulary 50 percent larger and fact-based knowledge 50 percent more extensive than their peers.

Reading not only predicts but also nurtures these skills, says Donald Bolger, a professor of human development at the University of Maryland who studies how the brain acquires reading abilities. “It’s a snowball effect,” he tells Mytour. “The better you get at reading, the more vocabulary you gain. The more vocabulary you acquire, the better your reading comprehension becomes—especially with content outside your area of expertise.”

Reading helps build empathy.

In a 2013 Harvard study, volunteers read either literary fiction (such as “Corrie” by Alice Munro), popular fiction (such as “Space Jockey” by Robert Heinlein), nonfiction (such as “How the Potato Changed the World” by Charles Mann), or nothing at all. In five separate experiments, those who read literary fiction showed improved skills in predicting characters’ behavior and identifying emotions from facial expressions. This suggests a greater ability to understand others’ mental states, a concept known as Theory of Mind.

“When we engage with characters who are complex, unpredictable, and challenging to understand, we are more likely to approach real-life individuals with the interest and humility required to deal with complex personalities,” says study lead author David Kidd, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, in an interview with Mytour.

Reading stimulates creativity and adaptability.

“In our daily lives, we often feel pressured to make quick decisions, leading us to shut ourselves off from information that could ultimately benefit us,” says Maja Djikic, a psychologist at the University of Toronto. “When we read fiction, we practice staying open-minded because we can embrace uncertainty.”

Djikic reached this conclusion after conducting a study where 100 participants were asked to read either a fictional story or a nonfiction essay. They then filled out questionnaires designed to measure their level of cognitive closure, or the tendency to quickly reach conclusions and avoid ambiguity. The fiction readers turned out to be more flexible and creative than those who read nonfiction—and the effect was most pronounced in people who read regularly.

Reading has the power to help you grow and transform as an individual.

It’s rare to pinpoint the exact moments when our personality evolves, but reading fiction might just help us recognize such changes. A research team from the University of Toronto asked 166 participants to complete questionnaires about their emotions and key personality traits, using the well-known Big Five Inventory, which measures extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability/neuroticism, and openness. Half of the group read Anton Chekhov’s short story “The Lady with the Toy Dog,” which tells the tale of a man who goes to a resort and has an affair with a married woman. The other half read a nonfiction version of the same story presented as a divorce court report. Afterward, all participants answered the same personality questions they had filled out earlier—many of the fiction readers showed noticeable changes in their responses. They saw themselves differently after reading about others’ fictional experiences, while the nonfiction readers did not experience this shift in self-reflection.

“When you identify with a character, a protagonist in a story, you step into a life experience you wouldn’t have otherwise known. You gain emotions or perspectives that would have remained out of reach,” says Keith Oatley, a University of Toronto psychologist and one of the study’s authors, in an interview with Mytour. By imagining new experiences, readers create a space where they can grow and transform.