Does Reading Effects Your Social Skills?
The practice of reading, be it books, newspapers, or magazine articles, has always been encouraged. It is primarily due to its numerous positive effects, the list of which would be exhaustingly long. Throughout the years, we have remarked books as a medium that renders exclusively thought-provoking knowledge, boosts creativity while also refining a person’s vocabulary. Despite all of this being undoubtedly true, there is more to reading than the above-stated benefits.
Recent studies have proven that reading helps towards the social development of an individual. From building a person’s character and polishing their personality traits to servicing them to cope with the outside world effectively, reading has a lot to offer if promptly adopted as a daily habit. Unfortunately, due to the fast-paced lives that we are leading, many people, nowadays, have completely replaced this gem-of-a hobby with other practices that have adverse effects on one’s social skills.
Therefore, it has become increasingly necessary for the masses to gain more in-depth knowledge about reading and its effect on our social skills.
Communication Power
When you step into the outside world, it is of extreme importance that you communicate appropriately, and the message sent out is delivered as intended. Reading literature helps you do that exactly. Books centered on a specific character, perception, and journey, traits such as outgoing and lively, help you create an image of the practical world. You learn to respond and handle situations that otherwise may have ended badly.
Diverse Mindset
Once you expand your reading library, you come across books based on topics you might have never heard. It instills in you a curiosity to learn more about the subject. As a result, you end up gaining extensive knowledge relating to various topics. It also leads to acquiring more information about the different cultures, beliefs, and practices that form a part of this world. As a result, you become increasingly accepting and have fewer chances to offend somebody who comes from a different background.
Ideal Conduct
Reading helps you develop ideas and while you are the reader, you are also a judge of the characters, events, and actions that are taking place in the scenario. The dynamics of the plot may change and your view over it shifts accordingly. It proves that we, humans, have an inbuilt moral conscience that helps us differentiate between right and wrong but sometimes even that is not enough. Therefore reading books that deal with complex plots is of utmost importance to constantly remind us of what is acceptable and what is not. Consequently, this shapes an individual’s behavior in a manner that is not only self-beneficial but instead contributes to the community at large.
Furthermore, recent researches have revealed that reading empowers you to empathize with people. Empathy, a social skill that is the most difficult to teach, can be felt by reading. The way our society has become intolerant and insensitive is enough of a reason to promote reading as much as possible.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss
