We are constantly bombed with information about how to keep our bodies fit. But what about our minds? Is there something we can do to make our mind more agile?
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Well, there is and it’s simpler than you might imagine: it’s reading. And I don’t mean reading tweets or headlines. I mean reading books.
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Reading implies patience and determination, but the benefits are worth it. Studies show that reading on a regular basis helps information be processed more efficiently. And if you read in a foreign language, the benefits are even greater: communication skills improve and the regions of your brain involved in spatial navigation and learning new information increase in size. Learning a new language also improves your overall memory.
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The other great benefit of reading is empathy. As they dive into a novel, readers learn what it means to be human, they connect emotionally with the characters and experience what being someone else feels like. Readers learn life lessons that would be otherwise unavailable to them and because of it, they behave better in the real world. Readers make better decisions about themselves and those around them.
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But as with other skills, to rip the benefits of reading, you have to practice it. But rest assured, once you get the taste of it, you won’t want to stop, because you’ll discover what a pleasure it can be.
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