Anonymous
03/13/2025 10:12
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
Reading fiction is wonderful for developing empathy. It is likely a good part of why I survived my traumatic childhood and am thriving now.
I think your post is a bit more about your relationship with your dad than it really is about your son's reading habits. Speculating about what your dad could have done if he wasn't reading isn't especially helpful. Especially when you think about the fact that if you're imagining all the "good" he could have done w/o reading you should also balance that with the bad/worse things he might have been pushed to do if he hadn't had reading as an outlet. There's no way of knowing what he would have been like if he hadn't read so much.
It makes me a little sad to see the comparisons to the iPad, which I consider very different from reading, which requires active participation from the reader. I fear that we humans are becoming more and more passive and just want our entertainment spoonfed to us 24/7 with plenty of little hits of dopamine sprinkled at regular intervals or we get too bored to continue.
I think your post is a bit more about your relationship with your dad than it really is about your son's reading habits. Speculating about what your dad could have done if he wasn't reading isn't especially helpful. Especially when you think about the fact that if you're imagining all the "good" he could have done w/o reading you should also balance that with the bad/worse things he might have been pushed to do if he hadn't had reading as an outlet. There's no way of knowing what he would have been like if he hadn't read so much.
It makes me a little sad to see the comparisons to the iPad, which I consider very different from reading, which requires active participation from the reader. I fear that we humans are becoming more and more passive and just want our entertainment spoonfed to us 24/7 with plenty of little hits of dopamine sprinkled at regular intervals or we get too bored to continue.
Anonymous
03/11/2025 10:07
Subject: Re:The benefits of reading good, long books?
Anonymous wrote:Life long reader. Also used as an escape for difficult family life as a kid. I’m very smart in school and at work but have a gap relationally because I was raised by books not by humans. Reading is not an automatic ticket to the good life. I really have to work at relationships which shows up at work now that I’m reaching higher levels. What would have helped me the most if for my parent to read along with me and have discussions about the books. I would have cherished that and it would have provided opps to discuss relationships.
Same, friend
Anonymous
03/11/2025 10:07
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
There are documented benefits of reading for the brain:
https://neurolaunch.com/how-reading-affects-the-brain/
https://neurolaunch.com/how-reading-affects-the-brain/
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:29
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
Recently I returned to reading long books before bed and gosh it has helped my sleep so much. I feel sleepy as I read and then I drift off to a very calm and restful sleep and wake up at the proper time with no interruptions. I am in the thick of perimenopause so this is big for me.
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:28
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Being a good and voracious reader will not fix other problems in your life or with your personality. It is a good thing on its own and for its own sake. But, work on your son’s social skills and other problems outside of reading.
He doesn’t have problems, I said that he was just very similar to his grandfather in basic personality traits and habits. So maybe potential problems but maybe not.
Thank you for the rest of your response. I think you are right. I was always taught that if you are a reader, you are smart and you will do well in life. Turns out it’s just not true!
No offense but that is kind of an insane thing to think. Writers are readers and look how many of them had tragic lives.
It's good to read because it's a way of cultivating the imagination and other things. But, no, reading itself doesn't cause - or even correlate - with otherwise being a problem-free person. It probably does correlate with intelligence, at least to some extent, so you've got that!
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:24
Subject: Re:The benefits of reading good, long books?
Life long reader. Also used as an escape for difficult family life as a kid. I’m very smart in school and at work but have a gap relationally because I was raised by books not by humans. Reading is not an automatic ticket to the good life. I really have to work at relationships which shows up at work now that I’m reaching higher levels. What would have helped me the most if for my parent to read along with me and have discussions about the books. I would have cherished that and it would have provided opps to discuss relationships.
Anonymous
03/11/2025 09:14
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
Anonymous wrote:OP, I admit that I often use reading as an escape. I love plot-driven books, big character-complex 19th-century novels for example, as well as crime fiction and some rom-coms. For me, it can definitely be a little like an addiction,
and something I use to avoid unpleasant tasks and thoughts.
I agree with a lot of what previous posters have said about the benefits of reading. But I think the benefit of reading the "good, long books" you mention (and less so the rom-coms I sometimes read) is that it hones your critical thinking skills. A silly party-trick example for me is that I can pretty much predict the plot-line and twist of almost any TV show I watch. And when I can't, it is usually because the plot doesn't hold up and the flaws are immediately obvious to me. (TV of course tends follow similar patters as good literature with simpler plots.) As a result, I have kind of lost interest in TV so I am not saying this is a great thing, but it is definitely reading that has sharpened my skills. Much more importantly, I am a strong critical thinker when it comes to life: political speeches, for example. I just pick up on patterns; spot contradictions very easily; am good at building my own logical arguments, and so on.
Reading isn't the only way to strengthen critical thinking skills, but it is definitely an enjoyable one.
Interesting. I'm a lifelong, avid reader, and TV shows and movies often frustrate me because they're often either too predictable or full of gaping plot holes.
Anonymous
03/08/2025 07:22
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
OP, I admit that I often use reading as an escape. I love plot-driven books, big character-complex 19th-century novels for example, as well as crime fiction and some rom-coms. For me, it can definitely be a little like an addiction,
and something I use to avoid unpleasant tasks and thoughts.
I agree with a lot of what previous posters have said about the benefits of reading. But I think the benefit of reading the "good, long books" you mention (and less so the rom-coms I sometimes read) is that it hones your critical thinking skills. A silly party-trick example for me is that I can pretty much predict the plot-line and twist of almost any TV show I watch. And when I can't, it is usually because the plot doesn't hold up and the flaws are immediately obvious to me. (TV of course tends follow similar patters as good literature with simpler plots.) As a result, I have kind of lost interest in TV so I am not saying this is a great thing, but it is definitely reading that has sharpened my skills. Much more importantly, I am a strong critical thinker when it comes to life: political speeches, for example. I just pick up on patterns; spot contradictions very easily; am good at building my own logical arguments, and so on.
Reading isn't the only way to strengthen critical thinking skills, but it is definitely an enjoyable one.
and something I use to avoid unpleasant tasks and thoughts.
I agree with a lot of what previous posters have said about the benefits of reading. But I think the benefit of reading the "good, long books" you mention (and less so the rom-coms I sometimes read) is that it hones your critical thinking skills. A silly party-trick example for me is that I can pretty much predict the plot-line and twist of almost any TV show I watch. And when I can't, it is usually because the plot doesn't hold up and the flaws are immediately obvious to me. (TV of course tends follow similar patters as good literature with simpler plots.) As a result, I have kind of lost interest in TV so I am not saying this is a great thing, but it is definitely reading that has sharpened my skills. Much more importantly, I am a strong critical thinker when it comes to life: political speeches, for example. I just pick up on patterns; spot contradictions very easily; am good at building my own logical arguments, and so on.
Reading isn't the only way to strengthen critical thinking skills, but it is definitely an enjoyable one.
Anonymous
03/07/2025 09:14
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
It's such a gift. Perhaps it's escapism, but it engages your thoughts and imagination in a way other forms of entertainment don't. Conjuring images in your mind of characters and settings, seeing the world through the lens of a protagonist who is nothing like yourself (or maybe more like yourself than you otherwise may have thought) . . . there is a reason why people often think the book is better than its screen adaption.
Anonymous
03/04/2025 12:59
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
Describes
Anonymous
03/04/2025 12:59
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
Anonymous wrote:I think as a kid, if you really like to read, your school life is just easier.
So much learning is ingested through reading, that those who are good at it and enjoy it have an easier time.
For me as an adult, the benefits are manifold... primarily the ability to gain so many other perspectives about life, both present day and throughout history.
I feel like my sense of empathy is constantly being developed.
I also just love learning and find the world so interesting and fascinating. I'm not sure if I like books because of that, or if I'm like that because I read so many books.
This descibes me pretty well, too.
Bartlebythescrivener
02/28/2025 03:24
Subject: The benefits of reading good, long books?
Reading is good for your brain and your thinking, but like other's said it's not a pancea. However, it's a better hobby that most things. I couldn't imagine how dumb i'd be if i never read.