Aside from doing some last minute reading the night before an English quiz, the majority of students do not read. What if I told you that there has been a lower employment rate globally? So what? You might want to put the blame on a former president, or some type of major conflict, but it’s not just those factors, it’s the lack of reading. According to The National Literacy Trust a drop off on reading can end up costing the global economy billions of dollars. The study compared surveys of readers and the years these surveys were done, with global employment rates in those same years. So why do you still not read?
The boredom and thoughts of sitting down and reading a book for fun outweigh the mental improvements of reading. In 2023 an American Psychological Association study on teenagers said that only 14% of teenagers read for fun every day and 31% of them say they never read for fun. All studies show that students who read frequently have higher test scores.
Not only do statistics in the school system but also statistics in the health system. Regular reading has proven to decrease a person’s chances of getting dementia. Many studies say, on average, those who read regularly live two years longer than those who do not read. One study done by the National Endowment for the Arts says that those who read on the regular are found to have better social skills and improved communication skills. Almost every statistic and study concludes that people are “better off” when they read. Despite the constant reminder of the benefits, students still refuse to pick up a book.
Of course a major reason for this is the rise in social media and the society that we live in downgrades the importance of reading. Some people will wonder how watching a documentary on George Washington is different from reading a book about George Washington; the reason the two are different is because the book leaves it up to the reader to interpret the story about Washington. A film will give you a visual image of a character which can cause the viewer’s original perception to change. A book does not give you a concrete depiction of something, it can depict whatever the reader is thinking at that moment. Movies are depicted with different sounds and visual effects which interpret a meaning in a specific way. When receiving the words the reader is able to make connections just by a flip of a page.
Over the years reading has become a laughingstock in society. From once being the main source of information into an afterthought in just 50 years or so. The goal is not to become a best selling author, but what you could do is just see what could happen. That they realize how much a story can change a person’s present and future state, and most importantly I hope people realize where their minds can take them. Yes you can always point to the statistical benefits of the hobby, but what I found so important about it is what it does for your imagination and your creativity. Nobody should be stopping you from reading, and if someone is, you should question your relationship with that person. Nothing is wrong with the hobby. Doing something as simple as reading one chapter can make your imagination take you into a place you never knew was possible, and once you do that you will finally learn why you should continue to read.
