June 5, 2023
Daily Reading: A Small but Mighty Habit
Reading every day is beneficial regardless of age, developmental level, or reading level. The benefits of developing consistent reading habits speak for themselves and are backed by decades of research. Reading just 20 minutes a day has impacts on academic performance, as well as physical and mental health.
Unsurprisingly, reading increases vocabulary (Benefits of Reading Books: For Your Physical and Mental Health). Reading every day exposes you to 1.8 million words a year. The increase in vocabulary has multiple benefits, from stronger test scores to the improvement of processing speeds. This allows for stronger reasoning skills, since less time will be spent figuring out tricky vocabulary words. Exposure to new and increased vocabulary is hugely important for young and emerging readers. A recent study of the reading practices of almost 10 million students found that over half the students read less than 15 minutes a day. This is troubling because “15 minutes seems to be the ‘magic number’ at which students start seeing substantial positive gains in reading achievement; students who read just over a half-hour to an hour per day see the greatest gains of all” (Daily reading practice and the magic of 15 minutes). Students who read 30+ minutes a day from Kindergarten through 12th grade are expected to encounter 13.7 million words, whereas students who read less than 15 minutes a day are expected to be exposed to only 1.5 million words during that same 12 year span. A richer vocabulary leads to greater achievement in reading, because reading comprehension relies on depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge. This, in turn, leads to higher high school graduation rates and college enrollment rates.
Along with the accrual of complex vocabulary, reading creates new connections in the brain. Whether you’re learning new words or concepts, the new connections forged in the brain from reading strengthen and grow over time. It improves the neural networks within the brain, increasing its response to stimuli, most significantly in the somatosensory cortex (Benefits of Reading Books: For Your Physical and Mental Health). This area of the brain responds to physical sensations. So, even though it may seem like reading is purely for intellectual stimulation, it can also enhance your body’s physical abilities.
Reading also has benefits to mental health. Reading helps reduce stress and anxiety. This is likely due in part to the fact that reading is not an automatic task for our brains. It requires concentration and focus, meaning that the brain cannot focus on other stressors or tasks while reading. One study even found that reading for just 6 minutes reduced muscle tension and heart rate in their participants (Health benefits of reading). Similarly, reading can alleviate depression symptoms such as isolation and feeling estranged from others. Reading fiction allows individuals a way to escape from their own world, relieving stress. Alternatively, reading nonfiction can offer strategies or useful skills for overcoming symptoms of depression (Benefits of Reading Books: For Your Physical and Mental Health). Many experts even suggest reading before bed to help wind down and relax before sleeping.
Reading 20 minutes a day can also improve social relationships. This habit helps with strengthening self confidence and interpersonal skills. Because reading strengthens empathy, you’re able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, think critically about a character's motivations, and apply those skills to real-life situations. Reading increases theory of mind, which is a set of skills that enable us to understand the beliefs, ideals, and feelings of others. These skills are essential for “ building, navigating, and maintaining social relationships” (Benefits of Reading Books: For Your Physical and Mental Health). Reading about similar experiences to our own is also important, as characters “may have a way of describing their experience that helps us articulate our own experience” (Health benefits of reading).
Daily reading builds vocabulary, strengthens the brain, alleviates stress, improves sleep, and increases social skills. It is a small habit that reaps many, many benefits.