Why You Should Read for Pleasure (Even When You’re Busy)

March is National Reading Month. Established by the National Education Association (NEA), National Reading Month is an extension of the NEA’s National Read Across America Day, which celebrates Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2, and serves to encourage people across the country to read by promoting the benefits and joys of reading daily. Since its inception in 1998, the event has grown into a month-long celebration and year-round initiative.

In observance of National Reading Month, and as reading enthusiasts ourselves, we’ve put together a few of the benefits you can gain by reading daily.

• Boston Medical Center’s Reach Out and Read program found that reading to children from birth to age 5 for just 10 minutes per day improves their language development skills.
• A scientific literature review published in the European Journal of Public Health found that bibliotherapy, reading as a form of therapy, can be effective in temporarily reducing symptoms of depression in teens, as well as being an effective long-term aid in treating depression for adults and seniors.
• A University of Sussex study found that reading for as little as 6 minutes a day can reduce stress levels by up to 68%.
• Research published in the journal Neurology demonstrated that the mental exercises we gain from daily reading can reduce cognitive decline later in life.
• Reading books for as little as 30 minutes per day can extend your lifespan, according to a 2016 study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

Are you thinking, “But friendly neighborhood librarian, I’m much too busy to read for fun”? You’re not alone.

A recent study published in the journal iScience found that over the past 20 years, daily pleasure reading has declined significantly. The study attributes the shift to the rising cost of living, reduced leisure time, barriers to access and the increased influence of digital media.

So what can we do to fit daily pleasure reading into our busy schedules? We’ve got you covered with these practical tips so you can reap the many benefits daily reading has to offer.

• Embrace the short story. Nothing says low commitment like a short story, and there is an abundance of stellar short stories to choose from.
• Audiobooks count. Listening to an audiobook is a great way to engage your brain in reading while working with your hands, running errands or on your commute to work. It’s also a great option for preventing eye fatigue and eye strain.
• Have lots of options on hand. There are no rules saying you can only read one book at a time, and sometimes you’re just not in the mood for your current read. Have a backup read, or two, at the ready so you can switch whenever you want. Consider having a fiction book as your daily read and a nonfiction book as your occasional backup.
• Remove barriers to access. Keep a book everywhere you tend to take a break: at your desk, by the couch or your favorite armchair, on your nightstand and loaded on your mobile device. You’ll have a book readily available whenever the mood strikes.

Don’t forget that just a few minutes a day can do a lot of good, so dust off your TBR pile and have some fun!