Updated on
September 6, 2016Lifestyle
Watching too much TV is bad for your health. According to some sources, being a couch potato will make you less smart. It will consume your time, influence your social relationships, affect your physical health in a very bad way, affect your emotional well-being, and skew your worldview. And the list goes on.
But this isn’t an article about the perils of TV watching. It’s an article about why books might be a better pastime (or passion, if you get to that level) for you to pick up.
1 You’ll sleep better
Sleep has two nemeses: light and stress. TV screens, your smartphone, and your tablet emit light. And the blue part of the spectrum they emit is especially problematic because it makes you more alert and affects the production of melatonin, a very important hormone in the sleep-wake cycle. Stress also causes the body to release hormones that interfere with sleep.
And how can a book help you? Well, it doesn’t emit light. And it also helps reduce stress levels.
2 Not all good books have movies or TV shows based on them
The interplay between TV shows and movies based on books can work to your benefit. Let’s say you like Fight Club. You loved the story, you loved the weirdness, you got hooked on the transgression it shows. But you can’t find many movies that give you the same sort of rush. Luckily, the movie was based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, and it’s not the only good one he wrote. So far, two of his novels have been adapted for the big screen, but to access the majority of his work, you will have to read.
3 Some of the TV shows or movies you like are based on real books
That interplay we mentioned works the other way around, too. You like Game of Thrones? You know it’s based on a book series. You like Harry Potter? Also based on a book series. And just imagine how much more content these books contain compared to their screen adaptations. You’re missing out if you’re not reading them.
4 Books are like jogging for your brain
Studies have shown that reading books with a strong narrative arc leaves an impression on your brain, boosting the connectivity in the parts of your brain responsible for language reception. That boost lasts for a couple of days, so you need to keep it up to reap the benefits. The takeaway is that reading books will make your brain work better.
5 You get what you put in
How many hours of fun can a book give you? It depends on how long the book is, sure, but it also depends on how much of yourself you invest in the book. Will you spend time thinking about it, imagining what every character looks like, how they must have felt when this or that happened to them? In that case, a book can keep you happy and entertained for weeks.
