A Book Is A Universe To Discover

A book is the means of transport that can take us to more destinations and that we value the least. It is that opportunity to meet other people, meet other visions and visit other worlds. One of the best gifts for anyone who knows how to appreciate it and the best companion for any circumstance.

Reading is that door that opens up to infinite possibilities : magical universes, stories from the past and futuristic visions. It is the key that unlocks the lock of uncertainty, the inspiration that sometimes hits us hard and a powerful evocative of emotions that reminds us page by page that we are alive.

Immersing ourselves in an ocean of letters is an experience that seldom leaves you indifferent. A book moves us, surprises us, makes us reflect and, on occasions, changes our lives. 

Reading is creating, building and understanding

A book nourishes us, questions us, offers us other perspectives. Reading enriches us, especially if we turn all our senses into it. Because it is not the same to read over, quickly and in passing, than to connect with what the author has captured on each page.

Delve into the minds of the characters, imagine the context in which every detail happens, recreate the conversations with a certain vivacity or simply delve into that theory or concept that they are trying to convey … Reading for real implies that and much more.

Reading is creating, imagining, understanding, empathizing, but above all building. It is a dialectical process between the author and the reader, a conversation in which one gives, another receives and the latter from there becomes manager of the book.

As the psychologists Paul Watzlawick and Marcelo Ceberio affirm in their book The Construction of the Universe , reading and its consequent reflections are structured as a process of co-construction between author and reader. An entire work of art from which both participants meet with the aim of building the product together, which is none other than a message with values.

Psychological benefits of reading

Reading is a pleasure, an open door to learning, which can lead us to exciting scenarios and which seduces, enriches and feeds our brain. In fact, reading strengthens mental processes such as memory, reasoning and perception. In addition, it also has the power to “open your eyes.”

The psychologist Ignacio Morgado, director of the Institute of Neurosciences of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​affirms that certain brain areas are activated when we read. For example, the occipital and temporal cortices to recognize the meaning of words; the hippocampus and the temporal lobe when when interpreting what we read, memories come to the mind and the amygdala and other emotional areas when reading sentimental texts, regardless of whether they have to do with reality or on the contrary they are fiction. On the other hand, the prefrontal cortex and working memory are activated when trying to reason about what is read.

In addition, according to a study by the University of Toronto published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Science, reading fiction improves empathy and certain skills, since this type of genre provokes a simulation of different social worlds in the reader’s mind and this entails a better understanding of social experience and relationships.

Not only that. Reading also reduces stress significantly, if done half an hour to an hour before bedtime, according to a study by The Sleep Council. Also, reading is an activity that distracts the mind from the pressures and worries of day-to-day life, offering a haven to release and feel comfortable.

Another benefit that we can obtain when reading is a better vocabulary, especially if we vary between literary genres, since connections are established between the words that are used orally and those that we read, enriching our vocabulary and indirectly improving our spelling.

Nor can we forget the influence that reading can have on our creativity, imagination and emotional sphere. There are many benefits that we can obtain from the act of reading, in addition to fun and entertainment.

A book is a silent companion with whom we build a bond at a certain moment and how every bond transforms us in one way or another. Reading provides us with a refuge, takes us to other worlds and expands our mind. For something Gandhi said that if it is not read nothing happens, but that if it is done, a lot happens. Because reading is a continuous learning and the springboard that drives us to know other views.