Reading is a healthy habit that everyone should cultivate from childhood. The reason I say this is because of the overall benefits that come with reading.
Granted not everyone likes to read but you don’t have to jump into it head first and expect to run through 900 pages in one sitting.
Reading is a habit that is developed slowly just as any habit would. Therefore, take your time and start by reading slowly.
The only key important thing is going at it atleast every day. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes.
This will make an impact on you.
Remember that habits compound and doing them everyday makes them become a core part of our lives.
I encourage you to take on reading as a hobby because of its importance…
This post will discuss the effects of not reading books so you can basically gauge where you are and understand how reading can be beneficial.
The Effects of not reading books
Makes learning difficult
People that don’t read and don’t like to read find it harder to learn than people that actually read.
For example, Most students that fail to develop a reading habit find it difficult to get through school because studying becomes difficult.
This then leads to students dropping out which is bad for society.
Reading is habit that strengthens the brain and cultivates your innate passion of wanting to learn more.
Therefore, not indulging in books closes you off from this.
Poor memory
Reading helps the brain work better and improve its sharpness.
To be able to read a book until the last page your brain has to basically rewire itself to store nformation more efficiently so it can wield and use it for comprehension sake.
This makes reading a book in phases possible.
A person that doesn’t read will have an untrained memory which will not be able to effectively provide information when it is needed.
This is obviously not a good thing because poor memory makes life inherently harder.
Poor concentration
People that read books have the ability to stay focused and engaged for long periods of time because without focus, reading is impossible.
This ability to focus translates into other areas of the readers life.
People that don’t read books miss out because they tend to have weaker powers of concentration and focus.
Which in turn makes it harder to carry out tasks as well as work for long hours on a single thing.
Narrow mindedness
Reading exposes readers to various material which diversifies how they think.
You’ll find that most people that don’t read have a certain narrow mindedness to them that can easily be spotted.
The reason for this is simple.
When you don’t read, you’re forced to take everything at face value and hence create and shape your perception in this manner..
Your perception about life in this sense becomes narrow because you don’t take the time to grasp ideas that people have contemplated and written about in books.
Poor vocabulary
We all know that reading books exposes us to words.
This makes us become better readers in a position to decode text as well as make sense of it.
Reading improves our vocabulary because it constantly exposes us to words of which we begin to understand and put into context as we read.
People that don’t read never fully develop their abilities in the vocabulary sense and this makes their vocabulary pretty much poor.
Poor articulation
To be able to express yourself well you need to have a good command of a language as well as a deeper connection to your thoughts.
If you don’t read books ,you will not be able to articulate yourself well.
The reason for this is simple… Reading books allows you to see and understand how writers externalize their thoughts by using words.
Being exposed to this gives you an advantage because it helps you understand self expression.
Articulation is usually a result of being exposed to various written works.
Low brain power
The one advantage of reading that I’ve personally noticed with myself is its ability to improve brain function.
Reading has made me become a better thinker and I can pretty much use my brain more effectively.
People that don’t read usually have low brain power because they don’t exercise the brain as much as readers do.
Physical exercise strengthens your body while mental exercise strengthenes the brain.
Repeating history
There’s an old saying that says, “If you don’t read history, you’re doomed to repeat it” .
This statement is relevant for our discussion not in its literal sense but in its conceptual sense.
Reading books exposes you to various concepts, ideas, and knowledge…which are things or tools that can help you improve your everyday life.
For example various self help books are stories of how people rise to success which includes valuable lessons.
If you don’t expose yourself to this kind of knowledge, you’re doomed to repeat mistakes that you would have otherwise read about and avoided.
You can now understand what I meant by saying not reading books contributes to being narrow minded.
Lack of imagination
Reading books allows you to tap into your imaginative power.
Which then makes you visualize what you read. This is important because it expands your thought process as well as comprehension.
People that don’t read books usually lack the creative spark necessary to induce imagination.
This makes it difficult to be visually creative.
Poor analysis
The ability to analyse situations is something that is very important in today’s world… because we are living in a more dynamic world.
To be able to navigate in today’s world one needs the ability to analyse situations in order to make better decisions.
Readers have it easier when it comes to analysis of things because the frequent exposure to several different concepts equips them with the ability to analyse and understand situations better than non readers.
People that don’t read books will have a tough time analysing situations with a narrow view of the world.
Harder to progress
If you don’t read books then learning will be inherently difficult which will make progress harder.
Reading books allows you to learn a number of things as well borrow various ideas that can make it easier for you to excel in whatever you may want to excel at.
Low self esteem
Not being a reader contributes to low self esteem especially in younger people.
Being around social circles of well informed people can make people that don’t read feel out of place.
Limited knowledge
If you don’t read books you’re basically limited in the knowledge you essentially have.
Almost all books have something to teach to those that have the time to read.
Which is why most well read individuals have a wealth of information at their disposal.
Inability to fully understand the world
Reading different types of books exposes to various knowledge, concepts and information which is essential in redefining our understanding of the world.
No body is born knowing everything there is to know about the world.
We pick things up as we grow older. Therefore reading is a good source of information that can make you understand the world we live in better.
People that don’t read are usually narrow minded with a static view of the world.
Failure to develop as a writer
Every writer knows that to become a writer you need to read books.
People that don’t read therefore never really develop their writing skills.
Articles You Might Find Interesting
Can Reading Change Your Personality?
Can Reading Books Make You Smarter?
Is Reading Books A Waste Of Time?
Why Do I Quickly Forget What I Read?
Why does My Mind Drift When I Read?
Helpful Resources
Do Poor Readers Feel Angry, Sad, and Unpopular? – PMC
The Dangers of Not Reading | Medium
The Consequences of Not Reading – Darin Evangelista
