Do you know that reading has a lot to do with your personality development? You are missing a whole lot of things in your personality development kit if you have not developed a good reading habit. We need to know the benefits of reading and what it can do to serve us in our quest for personal growth.

Very often people exclaim, “Library! You are boring due?” or many times, people go to sleep while reading. This is one of the most common things when it comes to reading. In this digital world, we are empowered with computers, tablets, smartphones, ebook readers. We have so much information, but all we are lacking nowadays is “Knowledge”. With more information, our all emphasis is now on “sorting out the information”. No time for knowledge. Another thing which has taken a toll in this digital age is the “habit of reading”. We look for summaries and bullet points these days or much simpler approach, ‘ask a friend’. We apply short cuts.

Also, do read about Personality, to have a greater depth into understanding yourself.
Also, read about Personality Development.

10 Benefits of Reading and How it helps in Personality Development.

Books are your best friends is an old adage. They truly are they add to your personality. But there is one of the adages, that “Reading makes a full man”. Reading gives you confidence and enhances your personality. Can’t believe it? Then here I give you 10 reasons to believe that reading benefits you in much more ways than just passing exams or looking for some discount deals in newspapers.

1. Improves Memory and Concentration

Most of the things written are meant to convey or explain something. They are contexts which binds many ideas and makes the whole content. The writer weather, he is writing a blog, article, book, essay etc links his ideas and spun the web of supporting arguments to forward his ideas to justify them.  Every new para is linked to the previous one in some or other form. There are supporting statements or contradicting statements. When you read such a text, you identify with the main idea and flows with it. You remember the ladder of all the ideas and makes a mental map of the things while going on the ride of knowledge. It helps in developing concentration. With much practice, you develop keen insight and a sharp mind.

2. Improves Writing Skills

Reading directly affects your writing skills in a positive manner. When you read books, most often you come across textbook language. If your reading portfolio comprises of books, editorials, writeups by renowned authors, blogs you learn a lot. You learn how people structure their sentences, build the support of their ideas and how to weave ideas in such a way that they can be justified and sometimes even convince the reader. You learn to play with the words.

3. Analytical Skills and Thinking Pattern

When you come across the written stuff which has arguments, counter-arguments, full of ideas and possibilities, then your brain tries to link the dots. If the idea structure is complex then you read it with more concentration. Your thinking often flows with the flow of ideas in the paragraphs. You get a peek into the mind of the writer and learns how other people think. It helps you to develop your own patterns of thinking and analyzing things. When you read other articles on similar subjects then you tend to compare them. So are supporting the idea and some are against it. You get to understand the two sides of the coin and how to look at the things in a more holistic manner. You learn different views, perspectives and possibilities. Your horizons expand.

4. Broad thinking

When you develop a reading habit, you come across a variety of materials, views, ideologies, thinking patterns and perspectives. You tend to see as many ways to look at an issue. These all expand your thinking and broadens your views. You get to know about the world even while sitting at home and reading. It makes the process of personality development more effective as you imbibe the best as per your liking and can leave the rest. A nice book can contribute lifetime lessons in a very short time.

5. Mind Gym

Reading stimulates the mind, it is an exercise for the mind. Remember it is also a muscle and you need to train it to remain in shape. Reading is on the gym machine for the mind. Another mind gym machine is puzzles. An empty mind is a devil’s workshop. If your mind is empty, then give it a task of reading and positively harvest your free time. If a gardener will not take care of the garden then the weeds will grow, similarly, if we’ll not take care of our mind actively, then lethargy and dullness will grow and no one wants that.

6. Stress Buster

Reading is a therapy in itself. It centres on the words. Take you on a ride to wonderlands of ideas, fantasies, possibilities, stories, ideologies etc. It takes you to a different world. A world of knowledge and wisdom. Where stress is melted and you can see through it. When you sit and read, the mind relaxes and body also calms down. You feel good. It disconnects with the digital mess around yourself.

7. Vocabulary Master

It is a must. A must for students, professional writers, in-office places etc. You read you come across many words you don’t know about. You read paras and sentences and many times, the context helps you to guess the word meaning. You first hand experience the ways to use the word which you just came across. So sometimes you see a word being used, then knows about its contextual meaning and learn about it without even picking up a dictionary. So when you encounter such words in exams on anywhere else, then that’s not a surprise for you.

8. Meet the Experts

Am not talking about me :D. There are many intellectual heavyweights in the world. Be it Stephen Hawking, Sun Tzu, Chanakya, Aristotle, Voltaire, Abraham Lincoln and many more. We cannot meet them all personally. Some are not with us on the planet and some are half the globe away. But thanks to books. We can meet them, know them, understand them and can have the privilege to be guided by them. Their books have immortalized them.  These people have lit the new ways for humanity and their guiding light have enlightened many millennia’s to come. Reading connects us to these treasures of non-expiring knowledge. You know the ways of successful men, their difficulties and their solutions. You get the life experience of these people in just a matter of a few hours. That’s more than magical.

9. Conversation Ready

A well-read person always has something meaningful to contribute in a conversation. In society when people talk and discuss general things or happening around them, a well-read person has a thorough grasp over it and can easily contribute valuable insights into the discussion. You may not be an expert at a subject matter, but being a little ahead of others give you an edge. Plus people know that you are not just blabbering anything, whatever you say has some substance in it. It increases your worth in society and your credibility. When you sit amongst intellectual people, you are accepted in the group. A well-read person is seen as a balanced and wise person. You will never fall short of words.

10. Sound Sleep

It’s a bonus for lazy people and people like me who are sleep lover. Reading calms your mind and focuses it on a single thing. A focused mind has fewer distractions and your thoughts calm down. The mind is involved in reading and when the thinking muscles tires, they go for a sound sleep which is very healing. One additive advantage is that if you read a motivational topic before reading then in the morning you’ll be having good thoughts. It can work wonders for you. Remember, it matters that on what thoughts are you sleeping. Don’t read technical things, horror writing, study deep ideologies and positive things before reading.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up a good book and start reading it. Be a knowledge-hungry Godzilla and feed the inner beast in you. Get addicted to reading. Develop a reading habit. Developing a reading habit is also an art. I have some for you on that too. Hope this article on ‘How Reading can contribute to Personality Development‘ is beneficial to you. Do share your thoughts.

Rajat Jhingan