Set Aside Technology and Make Time for Reading

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It is no secret that most kids hate reading as it is often associated with school. Many kids don’t like school and therefore dislike everything to do with it, and when they walk out that front door and throw their book bags onto the floor, books are out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Does this affect them negatively?

It is no secret that for as long as words were written, and possibly even before then, knowledge was shared through text. The most text that some of today’s youth see is an instant message. It is my personal opinion, along with many others, that social media lowers intelligence, and this is where most spend their time in recent years. Society has abandoned books and knowledge for on screen opinions. What does that mean for the direction in which society is heading?

It has been, indisputably, scientifically proven that reading not only instills new information to your mind, but actually increases brain wave activity, not only while we are reading, but also when we rest. Therefore, the more you read, the smarter you will be. Researchers at Emory University's Center for Neuropolicy also say that reading will increase your lingual skills, especially your vocabulary, since the left temporal cortex of the brain is used while reading.

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Book readers are also likely to have more active, vivid imaginations and be more creative thinkers. In addition to this, it improves memory capacity as it is a neurobiologically challenging activity. Reading is the brain’s best workout!

An article in Bustle.com explores this vital advantage that reading provides: “According to the ongoing research at Haskins Laboratories for the Science of the Spoken and Written Word, reading, unlike watching or listening to media, gives the brain more time to stop, think, process, and imagine the narrative in front of us.”

Aside from its countless health benefits, if people opened their minds a little bit and just tried to enjoy something different, besides a new app, and decided to pick up a book, most would find themselves intrigued and would grow to enjoy reading. Contrary to a common belief, you don’t just like or dislike reading, you aren’t born for or against things, you try them for yourself and grow to like them.

I think people should set technology aside, and remember that reading was a very common pastime for centuries for a reason, prior to television and smartphones. This hobby has lasted longer than any person can claim to count back, it has stood the test of time until now, and will die in what some call the “enlightened era.” To quote from the film The Outlaw Josey Wales, “Don’t pee down my back and tell me it’s raining.”

By Julia Curtis