What is the Use of a Book?

Imagine it’s a rainy day, and you cuddle up in your favorite blanket. The one that feels like down on your skin. You’re sitting by the window, listening as each drop hits the glass. In one hand, you have warm tea that fills your belly with heat. In the other, you have a book. It feels solid in your hand, and you hear a soft scraping with every page you turn. The story pulls you in, and you exist somewhere else.

Humans have always been compelled to pass on their stories and knowledge. We’ve read romances that lift or break our hearts and histories that stoke our rage or pique our curiosity. We’ve created grand epics that make hearts beat faster, science journals that record history being made, and blog posts that tell you something interesting.

Tales draw us in, but there is much more to the books we love than we often think. Reading is healthy. So, what is the use of a book? According to The Telegraph, the escapism you feel when you pick up a book is very real. Reading can reduce your heart rate and help you relax in just six minutes and is possibly more effective than other popular methods of reducing stress.

The reason this works is that concentrating on the words you’re reading prevents you from thinking about your worries. Reading stimulates your brain, pulls you in, and makes you feel like you are part of that world. When you’re reading, you’re in the mind of the author instead of your own.

Books have a structure, and each should have a beginning, middle, and end, with one event inevitably leading and often causing another. An article on firstpost.com quotes the neuroscientist, Susan Greenfield, stating that a book’s structure can teach children to think in sequences and increase their attention span and brain’s plasticity.

Reading also requires a lot of focus to understand the meaning in the words and the significance of events. Many parts of your brain are stimulated at once, including the region that relates to muscle memory. While you read, your mind may feel like it’s actually experiencing the story, and this process helps create new neural pathways.

For me, something is calming about a physical book. The sound, the feel, and yes, the smell, are very nostalgic. Paper books speak to our brain’s natural sense of location. What I mean by that is, it’s easier to tell where you are in the story when a book is tangible because you can see and feel how many pages are left. This sense of progress correlates to the way the story unfolds. Holding a traditional book is pleasant, and some studies have shown that it’s easier to remember what you read on paper than from a screen.

E-readers are preferred by younger readers, possibly because they are similar to their phones. People with dyslexia and impaired vision can also benefit from e-readers because users can adjust their settings to make reading easier. However, the light from screens can disrupt sleep rhythms and reduce the production of melatonin.

Regardless of your reading preference, you’ll be better off if you pick up a book. It doesn’t matter if it’s Descartes’ “Meditations on First Philosophy” or J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter,” reading is great for your mind and sense of wellbeing. So, grab a soft blanket, your favorite hot beverage, and any book that might enthrall you. Now, settle in for some quality self-care.