If You Want To Live A Thousand Times, Read

I can be a scientist, a vampire, an elephant, a gazelle, a doll, a mountain or a star. By reading a book, I can travel and be transformed. Books allow me to live a thousand lives and learn something new from each one of them.

In the 1930s, two Asturians, living in Cuba, set up a cigar company. At the factory, the cigarette manufacturers had very long working days. To make time go by, one of the workers would always read a novel for the rest.

“Let others boast of the pages they have written. I am proud of those I have read. ”
–Jorge Luis Borges–

The one they liked best was “ The Count of Monte Cristo”  by Alexander Dumas. This story made the workers more productive and they made cigars of even higher quality. That is why these cigars were then called  “Monte Cristo”.

This simple anecdote teaches us that reading gives us wings. Books stimulate our imagination and allow us to live other lives. We can dream about places we do not know, feel emotions intensely, love people we have not met or even fly.

The benefits of reading

When we read, we not only feel identified with the different characters in the books. We can also get to know places we have never been, experience customs we have never seen. This allows us to have a great sensitivity to our surroundings and the people around us.

Below we will analyze some of the benefits of reading. These include promoting empathy, creativity and memory. It can even help prevent Alzheimer’s or stress and help develop intelligence or the ability to talk and listen.

Reading makes you a more empathetic person

In 2013, various researchers at Emory University compared the brains of readers and non-readers. They found that in the former, readers were generally more empathetic people,  using their imagination to understand the emotions of the characters in the books they read.

Reading increases your ability to understand how other people feel, which is a basic ability for your development. This affects you in various areas, such as friendships, family, romantic relationships and in the workplace.

The habit of reading helps to improve your memory

Various studies have shown that the lack of memory usage causes you to start losing your memory skills. Thus, it is advisable to do crossword puzzles, sudoku and reading, among other activities. These are ways to keep your mental circuits going. They are the ones who are responsible for the memory.

“Reading makes a person whole and flexible and one’s writing accurate.”
–Sir Francis Bacon–

Reading helps us to remember events that have happened, people’s situations, conflicts we have become aware of through books and the lives of the characters that the author of each book shows us. This way of remembering strengthens our intelligence.

Reading helps reduce stress

Based on research conducted by Doctor Davis Lewis, reading reduces stress levels by 68%. It also calms us down by lowering the heart rate. Just six minutes a day of reading is enough to reduce stress levels significantly.

When we read, our mind transports us to another place. Thus, if we have had a bad day at work, reading, for example, will help us relax and distract ourselves. Or it will give us the relaxation we need to feel good and enjoy ourselves without thinking about anything else.

The risk of Alzheimer’s can be reduced by reading

Various studies have shown that reading can be a good tool to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. It stimulates the brain and its cells connect and grow.

In the year 2001, various researchers showed that older people who read regularly or perform mental exercises are less likely to develop this disease. Therefore, practice this simple habit every day and you will do brain exercise.

You learn to be a better public speaker and writer

Reading enables us to be better public speakers because by reading we acquire vocabulary and learn new terms. This learning allows us to write better and speak with more ease, by using language for the benefit of what we want to express.

Someone who reads has not only lived different lives through the characters in the stories they have read. Readers also have many topics of conversation available and a great ability to listen to others and observe closely.

You will live and enjoy many lives

By reading you will be able to enjoy the life of an adventurer in the Amazon, a king in an imaginary land or an orangutan in the jungle. Each page will flood your soul so you can enjoy while reading. Above all, reading is a great pleasure. It’s not expensive at all, everyone has easy access.

Moreover, you will not only live present lives, but also in the past or in the future. Of course, because books allow us to travel back in time and get to know everything about our ancestors. They can also teach us about the future. Reading is like dreaming while awake, and opening your eyes to thousands of different realities.

“Reading a good book is an incessant dialogue, where the book speaks and the soul responds.”
-André Maurois-