“No matter how busy you think you are, you have to find time to read or surrender to the ignorance you’ve chosen. ” That’s how Confucius spoke centuries ago. Over time, however, it has been discovered that reading is much more than just a source of knowledge.
Philosophers, writers, scientists and psychologists, among others, have already written about the greatness of reading, years of post-test study and testing, experts have shown us that reading is much more than an access to a purely informative, fun or imaginative world. It’s an act that exalts your soul. You want to know why?
- You may know Angel Gabilondo as a former Spanish government education minister.
- But much earlier he was and remains a renowned professor of philosophy at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
- For Gabilondo reading is just as important as eating or keeping your body in shape.
- According to the philosopher.
- A good selection of books is as important as a wise choice of food.
Angel Gabilondo believes that reading is as important as life, the act of reading creates, recreates and is still able to transform reality, so much so that Greeks and Romans considered it an activity to perform every day.
Emili Teixidor is a literary author who has written works such as A Leitura ea vida. For this writer, like the bread that nourishes our body, the letters do the same with the brain. Every written word gives life to our spirit.
In addition, it evaluates other benefits, perhaps more prosaic, but just as necessary. For example, reading promotes the ability to concentrate as it seems to be an activity in which our mind finds a fertile field to develop.
Teixidor believes that reading, by requiring concentration, improves human survival capacity. Our hunter ancestors needed all their attention to detail to eat, and the act of reading would make it easier to maintain this attention.
However, there are also studies that have explored in depth the effects of reading, found that reading activates the left hemisphere of the brain, causing intense activation of certain areas, which occurs so naturally that it affects intellectual development, with more neurons in the brain. Minds reading, according to Stanislas Dehaene, neurologist at the Collége de France.
Other studies show that illiterate people hear less than they read, according to research conducted by neuroscientist Alexandre Castro-Caldas of the Catholic University of Portugal.
As we read, our brain activates the same areas that would be activated if we did literary action in the real world, that is, it recreates what you think. This follows the study of psychologist Nicole K. Speer of the University of Washington. In this way, the actions recorded in the text are integrated into personal knowledge with a weight similar to that of past experience.
In addition, psychologist Raymond Mar of the University of Toronto has shown that the people they read are more empathetic; in fact, those who consume novels still increase this social competence compared to those who focus on specialized literature or read nothing.
At the University of Oxford a study has been carried out with an impressive conclusion: people who read for pleasure tend to be more successful professionally; in fact, those who read it during adolescence increase their chances of maturity.
Another unique detail is associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Reading is a great exercise to slow down and prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. That’s what Dr. Pablo Martínez-Lage of the Spanish Society of Neurology says.
If all these reasons don’t seem enough to you, read on. Reading praises the soul, entertains, entertains and creates imaginary worlds full of passion and charm. So if you don’t do it for your psychological and physical well-being, read on for the simple act of having fun. It’s so simple.