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A study suggests that those who read for 30 minutes in a day were 23% likelier to outlive those who didn't read regularly! 

Now, that's something to think about. Reading books is not only for entertainment or relaxation purposes. The rewards of reading cuts across educational, mental, physical, and even social benefits.

If you set a goal to read one book every month, by the end of the year, you would have read 12 books, and the benefits reaped would be immense. But it is sad that the reading culture is almost non-existent in our society. People prefer to binge-watch TV all day than read. 

However, it would interest you to know that reading books can give pleasure, and it is not a chore, as some people see it.

So, how can you form the habit of reading? How about first forming the habit of being a consistent reader? Habits are repetitive actions, so if you read often enough, it just might grow on you.

Below are some of the reasons why you should invest in books:

1. Reading Helps Your Brain Stay Active

It has been discovered that people who read are less likely to have Alzheimer’s disease than people who do not. Reading helps your mental health, as it helps your brain to be active by putting it to work.

2. Reading Opens You up to New Knowledge

Learning is a core aspect of life, and reading is an easy and cheap way to learn. Want to learn a skill? Read a book about it, and you’d be surprised at the immensity of knowledge you could accumulate about the subject if you keep at it. In fact, reading is one major way to learn, besides watching videos, listening to podcasts, etc. Reading opens you up to ideas of successful people, who pen down their success stories and how they navigated their way to the top, giving you deep insight on how to succeed in your own life, too.

3. Transports You to a New Environment

Reading is a smart way to travel the world. You may have never visited The United Kingdom, but reading a book set in the United Kingdom would open your mind to imagine what life looks like over there. Through the writer's use of imagery, you would be able to picture how the place looks in your head. Reading books also helps you see beyond the time you’re living in, to a time in the past. For example, if you read a historical book, it lets you into the happenings of that time, and familiarizes you with the events, just as though you witnessed it yourself.

4. Reading Expands Your Vocabulary

Reading good books helps to expand your vocabulary and your word power. When reading a book, you may come across new words that lead to you checking them up in the dictionary. This process — coming across a strange thing, getting curious, and looking it up – makes the word stick better in your brain. It becomes easier to use your new word (s) the next time you’re having a conversation or writing a piece where it applies.

5. Reading Improves Your Writing Skills

Great writers are avid readers! I can bet a million dollars on that. Reading helps your writing skills to a great extent, as it opens you up to new words, writing styles, and various means to string words together, to form a comprehensive whole. Writers tend to read books and from there learn how others write — the elements implemented in their writing — in order to adopt it in their own writings too.

6. Reading Helps Your Thinking Process and Focus Level

Reading books helps you think analytically, and to remember things more. With the influx of social media and the ravaging amount of information available everywhere, it is so easy to get distracted and overwhelmed with information. However, reading a book helps to focus your attention on the plot of the story, the characters' dialogue, etc. This helps you focus your attention, and helps your memory to retain the information gotten.

7. To Relax and Destress

Trust me on this, reading is one sure way to relieve yourself of stress after a long, chaotic day. Just sit on a couch, pick a book that piques your interest and feed your eyes with the interesting information therein. It would help your brain relax and calm your nerves in the process.

Want to come up with an idea about a project? Just read a book on the subject, then allow your mind wander and in no time, an idea should come to you from the knowledge you already took in via reading.

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