6 Ways Reading Books Can Be Good for Your Health

Reading is among the earliest skills children learn in school, and for good reason. Research indicates that reading is a critical aspect of learning and supporting cognitive health throughout life. And yet, Americans are reading fewer books overall than in the past.

There are all kinds of reasons people may have for not prioritizing curling up with a book: a fast-paced lifestyle, seemingly endless responsibilities, and more. But science provides strong evidence for reconsidering that priority list.

Below, learn about six research-backed ways reading books may provide benefits to your health and get tips for incorporating the brain-boosting pastime into your routine.

How to Make Book-Reading a Habit

• Set a goal of how many books you want to read in a month or year.
• Make a list of books you’d like to read.
• Schedule a time to read each day.
• Don’t be afraid to stop reading a book if you are not enjoying it.
• Make reading work for you, such as by using e-books or audio books.

To help entice you to stick to that habit, consider the following research- and doctor-backed benefits of reading.

1. Reading Books Can Help You Manage Stress

Reading can help reduce stress levels when you’re managing a mental health condition, and such benefits can also extend to everyday stress management for all people.

“In a busy world filled with screen time and social media, being able to read and escape into a book is definitely a way that we can lower stress both for ourselves and for our children,” says Danielle Curitore, MD, a pediatrician at St. Joseph Heritage Medical Group in Irvine, California. “As important as it is for children to interact and play, the benefits of reading and quiet time have been shown to also be important.”

Reducing stress is an effective strategy for boosting overall health. “Stress reduction can improve a person’s overall wellness, as it decreases cortisol levels that affect your physical wellness,” says Dr. Curitore. “For example, [reducing stress helps with] stabilizing blood pressure, improving mental health, and also reducing risk for [some] chronic diseases.”

Reading also supports the nervous system says, Kelly Gonderman, PsyD, a California-based licensed clinical psychologist and the clinical director at mental health treatment center We Conquer Together. “Reading is one of the few activities that genuinely slows the nervous system down without requiring you to do anything that feels like work,” she says. “What I observe clinically is that sustained reading — particularly fiction — creates a kind of focused attention that interrupts the rumination loops that drive anxiety and depression.”

2. Books Increase Comprehension and Vocabulary in Young Readers

Whether you’re reading to a baby or toddler, or if an older child has started reading on their own, book-reading is a healthy habit that can support comprehension and a growing vocabulary. Not only does this help with gradual progression of reading ability itself, but young readers may also use such skills in daily life.

“As a child grows, reading and the impact of literacy opens doors in education and opportunity, which can have far-reaching benefits for success during a lifetime,” she says.

With that in mind, Dr. Allan says she thinks of reading “as a workout for the brain,” adding that “it strengthens the neural pathways responsible for focus and emotional regulation. By building these structures early, children develop the cognitive strength needed to manage life’s challenges and their brains become more resilient as they grow.”

3. Reading Helps Adolescents With Self-Identity

“In my work with adolescents, I often recommend fiction specifically because it builds the ability to inhabit another person’s inner world, which is exactly what teens are developing neurologically,” says Dr. Gonderman.

Because a teen’s own developing inner world may be complicated during this phase of life marked by developmental growth, reading can serve as a welcome escape that may inspire positive change.

“When a teen is stuck in the quicksand of negative thinking, a book acts as a lifeline, helping them pull themselves out of their internal world,” says Allan. “The character’s world gives them the healthy distance they need to manage their own feelings.” Better yet, the distance may help them not only manage but also identify their feelings.

4. Reading Increases Empathy and May Improve Relationships

When you read a book to a baby or toddler, you’re nurturing their brain development and contributing to their emotional learning. Reading throughout one’s life also supports this growth.

Empathy, or the ability to understand and share how another person feels, is an important building block for developing and maintaining social and interpersonal relationships.

“Reading about the stories of others and engaging in characters from literature can definitely improve empathy as you learn about another person’s unique experience, whether it be fictional or nonfiction,” says Curitore. “By reading about individuals who have had to overcome obstacles, you gain insight into another person’s lived experience.”

5. Reading Improves Cognitive Function — Even as You Age

“Becoming a lifelong reader translates into becoming a lifelong learner,” says Curitore. “These skills are definitely important to keep up as we age and want to retain cognitive function.”

6. Reading Books May Help With Mental Health

Gonderman says she uses bibliotherapy, or reading therapy, as a therapeutic tool with her clients as a way to improve mental health. “Reading about characters navigating loss, isolation, or despair can create a felt sense of not being alone in an experience that depression insists is uniquely yours,” she says “That sense of recognition is genuinely therapeutic.”

Furthermore, adds Curitore, the aforementioned stress-reducing benefits of reading can extend to improving mental health. “Having introspective time and satisfying intellectual curiosity can have a positive impact on mental wellness,” she says.