Why Reading Books is So Good for Your Brain - and Your Career!

Whenever I see someone reading a book, two things happen. The first is that they almost always make a positive impression on me. Secondly, I try to subtly peek at the title. I also scan people’s bookshelves on conference calls. I know I am not the only one doing this.

I do this because seeing a bookshelf or someone reading a book is just not that common anymore. Reading is now often referred to as a "hobby." But, the act of reading is not just a hobby, it’s a very real and valuable investment; primarily for the brain, but also for one’s career.

The Brain’s Best Workout

Reading is an excellent form of exercise with a variety of cognitive benefits. "Use it or lose it" is a fitting axiom when it comes to the brain. There are plenty of high-quality studies that laud the benefits of reading on the brain’s neuroplasticity (mental training). When reading, new neural connections are formed, and different parts of the brain are stimulated. One notable study from Emory University discovered that the effects of reading a novel not only created brain connectivity in the moment, but brain connectivity (in the left temporal cortex) also persisted for five days after the participants stopped reading that novel.

When engaged (or better yet, engrossed) in a book, different parts of the brain are in active use. It is not a passive exercise; it is an activity. One that calls on our imagination and memory. Reading increases both grey matter (responsible for information processing) and white matter (responsible for communication between the brain’s regions). For children, adults, and the elderly, reading is an investment in both current and future mental cognition. For adults and the elderly, it is a formidable barrier against cognitive decline.

Pervasive and constant digital distractions—bite-sized morsels of information, entertainment, and social media—are diminishing our attention spans. The biggest social media platforms are designed to stimulate your nucleus accumbens (the brain’s reward center and a core part of the mesolimbic dopamine system) and keep you hooked and scrolling for just one more "hit." Eventually, the prefrontal cortex, which controls decision making, impulse control, and attention, gets fatigued, resulting in a reduced attention span. Social media and television engage different parts of the brain that offer quick stimulation with little lasting benefit to mental development or attention span. Even television programs, movies, or documentaries that can be educational and mentally stimulating are still passive when compared to reading, lacking the mental exercise component that is activated when reading.

Reading engages the brain at a much deeper, broader level than using social media or watching a movie. Reading is immersive and neurologically enriching because the areas responsible for comprehension, visual processing, language, attention, and memory consolidation are all actively engaged. Thus, reading regularly increases attention span and focus, but also memory, as myriad thoughts and information are recalled. The very nature of reading, on the other hand, obliges attention. All else is blocked out and the task at hand is singular and clear. Multitasking is limited to holding the book and turning the page.

The impact of stress on health cannot be understated. Reading can act as a powerful antidote to stress, just like meditation or exercise. When we are reading, we are elsewhere, and being elsewhere (like traveling) can lead to new perspectives and solutions. Reading can be incredibly grounding and balancing. An academic heavily involved in research might need something light and mindless at the end of the day to read. An individual, isolated and craving for culture, in a remote town can find joy and respite in some heavy reading. A book can deliver the mood and the companionship we need, when we need it. In another well-known 2009 study by neurologist Dr. Lewis at the University of Sussex, reading for just six minutes was found to reduce stress by up to nearly 70%, surpassing music or walking. Like meditation, reading and being mindfully immersed lowers the heart rate and eases muscle tension.

The Career Advantage

There is no doubt that reading can propel your career; that is, if you believe in the power of effective and confident communication. Locution, enunciation, vocabulary, and organized thinking are all skills that are developed through reading. Being articulate is a highly advantageous trait enhancing both one’s professional (and personal) brand and prospects. Because most of us repeatedly associate with the same co-workers, friends, and family, our exposure to new language is essentially limited to the vocabulary and sentence structures of our immediate circles. And language on television is often dumbed down for maximum reach. Reading, however, vastly and continuously expands our ability to articulate thoughts and ideas with new vocabulary and sentence structure.

While non-fiction plays an obvious and very important role in personal and professional development, fiction should not be ignored. Reading fiction can increase emotional quotient (EQ). EQ is as important as IQ, especially in settings where everyone else is also skilled and smart. Usually, at the top of any serious organization, everyone works hard, is smart, and skilled. But those with strong soft EQ skills have an unfair career advantage because everyone enjoys working with them. They receive more good will, and that can lead to some truly great opportunities. One key EQ attribute is empathy and the appreciation of alternative viewpoints, which can be fostered through reading novels. Exposure to different perspectives in novels is very useful for teamwork and leadership skills.

Beyond articulation and empathy, many more highly sought-after skills can be developed through reading. Making better decisions, problem solving, finding innovative solutions, and critical thinking are key to professional success. An enthralling mystery novel, for example, will have you questioning, guessing, deducting, reasoning, and thinking outside the box. Furthermore, the world in all its resplendent diversity is to be found in books, and that exposure to different cultures and ways of thinking are all useful, especially in diversified workplaces where cultural sensitivity is often a pre-requisite.

The data is clear. While the general population tends to read for entertainment, industry leaders and top professionals have a growth mindset and read more. What they read also counts. They read professional development and self-improvement books, industry-specific publications, biographies, and more. In fact, CEOs for example, don’t just read more; on average, they are voracious readers—and as a result, great communicators!

Most successful professionals understand the value of an idea. Ideas and insights, new and old, can spark entire industries, movements, and technologies, or radical self-improvement and re-invention. They are not reading strictly for entertainment; they are reading for advantage. Their mindset is different. If they spent $50 on a disappointing book but gleaned just one singular golden nugget of information, found in one sentence or a paragraph, they will consider this a win and a significant return on their investment.

And so, whether for career or general well-being, reading is one of the very best investments anyone can make in themselves.