Why Reading is Good for Business (and Your Mind)
I recently read a cultural comment article in The New Yorker by Ceridwen Dovey titled, ‘can reading make you happier?’ The writer had said about being gifted a bibliotherapy session which consisted of back and forth conversations, family history and analysing which books would be useful to assist with a particular emotional challenge surrounding existence.
Having never heard of a book prescription before it got me thinking about my own reading habits and how I will pick books, articles and blogs based on business areas and writing niches but how I also pick reads that somehow connect me with ‘how I’m feeling’ and offer a mental solution and path forwards or that helps to explain, unfold and to make sense of what could be whirling around in my head.
It may all sound a bit ‘woo woo’ but reading has the capacity to open our minds and to explore endless possibilities of learning, development and concepts in a way that engages our full selves. I listen, read and watch all sorts but reading in its traditional form is one of the only forms that engages me and focuses my attention. Audio is another but only if I’m driving and video does but I have to want to watch whatever the subject matter is.
It got me thinking as to how we’re all very different learners and it makes sense that as individuals we absorb and retain information based on our preferred learning style, such as: visual (images, maps & graphics), auditory (listening and speaking), reading and writing (learning through words) and kinesthetic (tactile and hands-on).
It’s through our learning styles that we discover how we best access information and we tend to lean towards our preferences when we absorb content too. An article medically reviewed by Rebecca Mannis PhD , learning specialist at Ivy Prep Learning Center and written by Lia Tabackman for Insider.com looks at the benefits to your health through reading citing the strengthening of connection in the brain when we read and the improved concentration and memory ability with thoughts that it could help you to live longer as well as reduce stress and cognitive decline.
None of the above surprises me but I also understand that when we live in a busy and fast-paced world where our attention is the commodity, we can often be short on time which is why I go with what I have and what I can give, be it in newspaper article form such as: The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph or The New Yorker (I have subscriptions for these) or even podcasts if I’m in the car and I want to make the most of the time whilst travelling and even keeping a book to hand wherever I am and setting aside time for the very intention to read.
It won’t surprise you that I read all of the time whether it be for myself or researching for clients – it’s the name of my professional game and one which keeps me informed and up to date on news, insights and worldly events but I know it goes much deeper on a scientific level and how that then relates back to us within our businesses.
As well as strengthening the connections in the brain, reading connects our communication between parts of the brain that control language processing according to the Insider review article where it creates new neurons which can accelerate processing speed and sends messages that we transmit throughout different areas of the brain.
Our cognitive ability impacts our ability to learn, remember and to make judgements with attention and memory most likely impacted by age where it’s thought that reading can reduce decline and where it’s also thought it can lower the risk of dementia through reading and other activities.
To discover that it helps to reduce our stress levels made sense to me as I often use it as a way to unwind or to step into another world within my own mind where I can visualise the story or if it’s non-fiction it helps to focus my mind and enables me to make sense of the day or to gently help the cogs unwind and although the brain isn’t a muscle much like the rest of our body it is said to benefit from exercise.
To me it’s a no brainer that reading promotes better brain and cognitive function but what if we can’t access reading due to our learning preferences or due to neurodiverse and cognitive challenges? Can other forms of content absorption still have the same affect?
Not satisfied to leave it there I asked Google as an example if podcasts offer the same benefit as reading does on the activity in the brain and in an article from Medical News Today I came across this title stating, ‘listening and reading evoke almost identical brain activity,’ according to Catherine Paddock, PhD and fact checked by Jasmin Collier.
Brain scans used as a part of a study at the University of California (UC) created semantic maps that can predict which parts of the brain respond to particular categories of words and when compared to listening and reading the impact held virtually the same outcome in that the brain doesn’t appear to have to use the same sense in order to acquire understanding and meaning from the words whether they are spoken or read.
This means that we can use our desired medium and preferred way to access content dependent on our own preferences which further compounds how schools can make resources more accessible to all learners be they neurotypical or neurodiverse along with businesses considering more than one type of content to reach their audience members and target demographics.
With its capacity to: broaden your mind and vocabulary, to foster empathy and identify with others, to communicate with ease, inspire creativity, non-fiction and business based books can be useful tools and learning apparatus but it’s in reading and engaging with interesting content, that although it does have scientific based results, it’s actually the benefits beyond that, that I see it as a way to discover more and to gain knowledge and depth of understanding -- to connect better with the world and the people around us both in business and life.
What about you -- How do you see reading and other content forms and its importance for your life and how it can be advantageous in business?
NB: All artwork is supplied by my autistic & creative son as a part of his college creative media work experience.
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