There are three things that unite readers, a love of books, a love of words and most importantly, a loving of reading for pleasure. Reading for pleasure is a tale as old as time, reading not out of necessity or requirement but reading because we love to read books. In a world where stories have been digitally converted into brief tap to read stories, (and where social media has attempted to take the concept of ‘stories’ for themselves), people are still in love with the idea of a printed book, they can cherish in their own two hands.
Author Neil Gaiman, wrote in his non fiction book ‘The View from the Cheap Seats’, that “Prose fiction is something you build up from twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks, and you, and you alone, using your imagination, create a world, and people it and look out through other eyes. You get to feel things, visit places and worlds you would never otherwise know. You learn that everyone else out there is a me, as well. You’re being someone else, and when you return to your own world, you’re going to be slightly changed” simply by choosing to read a book for pleasure, the more books you read for pleasure, the more chances you have to experience the benefits of reading, as described by Gaiman.
A Statista Survey, reveals that the number of participants in Good Read’s annual reading challenge has increased from 0.15m in 2011 to 3.58m in 2020, as more people are beginning to read for pleasure. The annual reading challenge is a Good Reads initiative, which encourages readers to set a reading goal, and see if they can read a set number of books for pleasure. This goes to show that the number of books read and the number of people reading are increasing; as the point of Good Readers is to bring people together who love to read, because that’s what they enjoy reading for pleasure, not only read if it is necessary to do so.
The possible benefits for readers, who read for pleasure, mean that it’s not only enjoyment or information that can be gained from reading a good book. Reading for pleasure allows for genres such as young adult, fantasy, sci-fi and thrillers to thrive, as the engaging enchanting nature of these genres encourage readers; especially young adult readers to start reading for pleasure in their early years or in their teens. If someone reads for pleasure, and genuinely engrossed in the story; then they’ll be able to receive more of its benefits.
Moreover, the benefits of reading for pleasure can be both physical and mental, and have a significant impact on a reader, especially if it is encouraged during childhood or adolescence. The activity of reading books is considered to be mentally engaging, which can help to keep your mind sharp. If you prefer to read print books, this can have added benefits as you tend to read slower (compared to on a device) and therefore you’re able to take in more of the books you’re reading, allowing for mental stimulation as you’re reading .
In a Healthline article by Rebecca Joy Stanborough, MFA, it’s suggested that reading for pleasure in the long term, can have mental benefits and strengthen the ‘theory of mind’ by improving your empathetic abilities; which can help to make and maintain social relationships. Stanborough analyses a research report ‘Reading Literacy Fiction Improves Theory of the Mind’ (by David Comer Kidd and Emanuele Castano), and said how the report “has shown that people who read literary fiction — stories that explore the inner lives of characters — show a heightened ability to understand the feelings and beliefs of others.”
Physical benefits may include reducing stress and increasing the strength and functioning of parts of your brain. Stanborough summarised the findings of a research report in the ‘Journal of College Teaching and Learning’, which suggested “that 30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate and feelings of psychological distress”; regardless of the book you chose to read for those 30 minutes. A Psychology Today article by Christopher Bergland explains how “researchers found that becoming engrossed in a novel enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. Interestingly, reading fiction was found to improve the reader’s ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes and flex the imagination in a way that is similar to the visualisation of a muscle memory in sports.”
It goes to show that reading for pleasure can be entertaining, and it can have the power to leave you wiser, bolder or even more socially aware; simply by reading your favourite books. The power of books goes beyond the intrigue of the front cover, the true power of a book lies in the stories that it tells.These stories can help us understand the world we live in and gain a depose understanding of ourselves, merely through readers enjoying their favourite book (as each reading of a book can bring new enjoyment, understandings or insights to the reader).
In a BBC Future article by Claudia Hammond, suggests that it is the characters that encourage us to read a book, and characters who help us revive the benefits of reading for pleasure; “characters hook us into stories. Aristotle said that when we watch a tragedy two emotions predominate: pity (for the character) and fear (for yourself). Without necessarily even noticing, we imagine what it’s like to be them and compare their reactions to situations with how we responded in the past, or imagine we might in the future.” One of the pleasures of reading is being able to relate to the characters we’re reading about, which can help to inspire us and make us feel understood and accepted for ourselves. The characters themselves and the world they live in can also help us to understand others.
The articles also introduces to Canadian cognitive psychologist Keith Oatley’s notion which refers to fiction as “the mind’s flight simulator”. Just as pilots can practise flying without leaving the ground, people who read fiction may improve their social skills each time they open a novel. This is because the benefits of reading for pleasure are priceless, books can make us laugh, gasp and cry, and aren’t afraid to show both the good, the bad and the ugly sides of society.
It goes to show that when reading for pleasure, it doesn’t matter whether you decide to read a action packed fantasy like Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood or a heartwarming tear jerker like Still Me; the benefits and pleasures of reading a book can be never underestimated.
the girl and the city of books 
I always liked to read- I would rather read an actual copy of a book. There is just so much of turning the pages and actually having the presence of a book in your hands. Always loved reading for pleasure- you literally are swept away in the world of the characters (which is particularly true for fantasy)
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