Reading is a relaxing and educating hobby yet so difficult to get into, why is it so hard to find a good book? Due to the exploitation of social media, the popularity of books has declined, but how can you put the phone down and pick up a good book?
The fast-paced nature of social media has caused us as a generation to feel the need to always be on our phones, giving us fast-paced media that’s constantly changing. We need quick doses of dopamine from small clips from social media platforms like ‘TikTok’ on a regular day-to-day basis. In our day and age, we have rewired our brains to not handle a steady stream of content, like a book or magazine, causing difficulty for mass interests in books. Although, social media does provide a good platform for book lovers to share new finds and their opinions on a new read; ‘BookTok’ has inspired more people to read in the last few years than we could have possibly anticipated. The Guardian states that children have read up to 25% more in the last year, clearly highlighting that people are becoming more interested in books. This is important for fellow A-Level students, as diverse reading develops more neurological pathways in your brain, allowing for clearer and more creative thoughts. Additionally, reading can boost career pathways and emotional development by 50-100% and reduces stress by 68%. Maybe reading could provide more benefits than you thought!
As an English Literature student, I have some bias towards reading as I need to have a certain level of interest to be able to undertake the A level, but aside from that, I find reading to be one of my main hobbies. With the large selection leaving you spoilt for choice, there isn’t an excuse for not being able to find a good book. From a range of genres to classics and modern classics, there’s a book out there for everyone. The best way to get into reading is to jump straight into the action and pick up a book. A common misconception that I think is a corresponding factor to why people don’t like reading as much as they should, is because they think reading for fun is the same type of reading that you did when you were in school. Find a book with something that you’re interested in, whether that is fictional or non-fictional, and get reading. Some books might not be for you, but when you find the right book, I promise you will feel like you can read the whole thing in just one sitting.
There are plenty of benefits that reading gives you, and just the pure enjoyment is more than enough reasons to put the phone down and start reading!