Do you still remember the last time that you’ve read a book or a long magazine article? Perhaps, you are more into reading tweets, directions on food preparations or friend’s Facebook updates. If you are among these people who were not able to make it a habit to read regularly, then there may be a lot of things that you are missing out.

There are many benefits that you can get when reading and following are some examples of it.

Number 1. Mental Stimulation

According to studies, it showed that being mentally stimulated could slow down Dementia and Alzheimer’s. This is for the reason that it keeps your brain activity active and engaged at the same time. Thus, it is preventing you from losing your brain power.

Much like any muscles in the body, our brain needs constant exercise for it to keep healthy and strong. Playing games like chess or solving puzzles are known to be useful in stimulating cognitive skills.

Number 2. Reducing Stress

Regardless how stressful you are at work, personal relationship or any other issues, it all slips away if you lose yourself in a well-written story. Novels that have good plots and twists can bring you to a totally different dimension while an engaging article can help in distracting you and keeping you in present moment. This is a big help in releasing tensions to go away. Thus, allowing you to feel more relaxed.

Number 3. Knowledge

Everything that you read will go straight to your head. New piece of information that comes in may come in handy. The more knowledgeable you become, the more ready you are in tackling challenges that you will face.

Not only that, here’s something that you should know, should you find yourself in a dire situation, keep in mind that even though it seems that you are losing everything – your money, assets, job and health, knowledge is something that can’t be taken away from you.

Number 4. Vocabulary

The more books and articles you read, the more the words you will be exposed to. Inevitably, they will make way to your vocabulary. Being well-spoken and articulate is a big help regardless of the career you are getting yourself into. And being able to know that you could speak higher-ups with confidence can significantly boost your self-esteem.

On the other hand, if reading is something that is really not in your forte, you may divert your attention into painting and contribute to the growing portfolio of Paint by Numbers.