Books Feed the Brain Overall, the children who spent more than one hour per day on screens performed worse on the cognitive tests than those who frequently read books with their parents or caregivers.
Reading Books Improves Cognitive Ability Versus Screens
According to a study conducted by CNN, “When it came to screen time, kids who used screens more than one hour a day had poorer emerging literacy skills, less ability to use expressive language, and tested lower on the ability to rapidly name objects.
Does Reading an Ebook “Count” as Screen Time? You might be holding a screen in your hand, but eBooks TOTALLY count as reading, according to the experts.
Reading engages multiple areas of your brain simultaneously, and the process of converting words into meaningful scenes and a story is more engaging than watching television. There are also loads of studies on the benefits of reading, including increased neuroplasticity, improved memory, and reduced stress levels.
Taking 20 minutes to read every day can boost mental health. Improves critical-thinking skills. Can encourage them to ask more questions when they don't understand concepts in the book, such as why some cultures eat, drink, or act in the ways they do.
Recommended Reading Time per Day
One should spend between 1 to 1.5 hours reading every day. This time should be spent in a single sitting for maximum effect as glancing at a book every now and then isn't good for focused learning.
Enhanced productivity. Reading allows your brain to process information more efficiently. It improves your ability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. It increases your attention span, so you can get more work done without getting distracted.
However exaggerated (or ridiculous) this stereotype is, reading is indeed associated with eye strain and comes at the expense of exercise and other physical activities. Frequently related are poor diets and digestive problems, an unwelcome weight gain or loss, and generalized exhaustion.
Reading has a positive effect on our mental health, while watching TV has the exact opposite effect. Reading can reduce stress, lower our blood pressure, our heart rate and muscle tension. On top of the knowledge boost reading provides us with, it also has a healing effect on our mental state.
Reading calms the nerves, increases language and reasoning, and can even keep you mentally alert as you age. TV, on the other hand, has the opposite effect.
However, numerous studies have defined that 15-30 minutes is a minimum interval we should dedicate to reading each day. Neuroscientists agree that even simple lifestyle changes, like daily 15 minutes with a nose in a book, will support your brain health for a lifetime.
While a slow reader will only get through 30 pages per hour, the average person can read around 40 pages per hour.
Books Feed the Brain
The study looked at the brain development of 47 healthy children between the ages of three and five. Overall, the children who spent more than one hour per day on screens performed worse on the cognitive tests than those who frequently read books with their parents or caregivers.
But if you really need to learn something, you're probably better off with print. Or at least that's what a lot of research now suggests. Many studies have shown that when people read on-screen, they don't understand what they've read as well as when they read in print.
Reading doesn't need to take up all of your time. The most effective way to read more is to start with 25 pages a day. Twenty-five pages a day is almost 10,000 pages a year. The number of pages you read is not as important as the fact that you enjoy it.
What is a good reading speed in pages? While slow readers usually read up to 30 pages per hour, average readers can read about 40 pages per hour. When it comes to fast readers, they can go through up to 60 pages per hour.
All the research says reading a book is good for you. Better even than listening to an audiobook or reading one on an e-reader. It reduces stress, promotes comprehension and imagination, alleviates depression, helps you sleep and may contribute to preventing Alzheimer's. Reading is active; watching TV is passive.
Reading keeps your mind alert and delays cognitive decline in elders. Research even found that Alzheimer's is 2.5 times less likely to appear in elderly people who read regularly, while TV was presented as a risk factor.
Can you be addicted to reading? Yes, your reading habits can develop into an addiction. Like every other activity you can think of, reading can have a dark side. Even the banalest and most ordinary activities can become addictive if we abuse them.
Reading Improves Brain Function
A person who reads everyday gets better at it over time. Not surprisingly, daily readers also gain more enjoyment from it than those that read less often. It can even improve memory and critical thinking skills.
How much reading is too much? Even though we are all different, the official recommendation for the average person is to not read more than one hour in one sitting or four hours overall in a single day.
Reading consistently strengthens connections in the brain, improves memory and concentration, and may even help you live longer. Reading can also reduce stress levels and prevent age-related cognitive decline. To read more, set aside time every day to pick up a book, whether it's during your commute or before bed.
The average reader will read 300 pages in 8.3 hours when reading at a speed of 300 words per minute (wpm). Typical documents that are 300 pages or more include full-length novels. A typical single-spaced page is 500 words long. You may read faster or slower than this depending on your average reading speed.
Reading increases knowledge of correct syntax and grammar, along with robust vocabulary knowledge, resulting in improved writing skills. Students who read 20 minutes per day score significantly higher on standardized tests of reading.