Life Lessons for Readers
What Makes a Reader Most Joyful About Reading — Part II
The joy of reading with Andy‘s guidance in a unique book club in the 1980s
In the opening chapter of this series, I shared insights into the joys that fuel writers’ passion, presenting a narrative around a pivotal 1980s writers' conference — an account warmly embraced by fellow wordsmiths.
Now, in this next installment, I invite you to join me in exploring the profound joys that resonate with readers. Readers might find this narrative equally engaging and enriching, much like the earlier part did for us writers.
This journey unfolds within the intimate pages of a particular book club led by an inspirational and charismatic figure, Andy, from the same era, the golden years of the 1980s, when physical books were still cherished.
In the heart of our unique and intimate book club, established by around 50 thought leaders and polymaths from different disciplines, my literary adventure began with Andy’s leadership, a soulmate whose fervor for reading would spark a lifelong love affair with written words.
As a well-educated and experienced philosopher who trained thousands of philosophy students until his mid-80s, Andy’s journey through books was a mosaic of genres, a kaleidoscope that transported us seamlessly across eras and cultures with thoughts and emotions.
Like his wife Janine (my late mentor), Andy was no passive reader. His approach was a dance with curiosity, an embrace of narratives that brought literature to life. He inspired all of us to play with words and ideas we found in books and use them in our daily lives for combinatorial innovation.
In our discussions, he didn’t merely recount plots. He wove vibrant exchanges that turned our book club into a haven for the shared passion of written words. He was a source of inspiration for club members, allowing us to memorize powerful quotes and exchange them in our conversations.
Whether lost in the whimsy of classic fiction from Russian novelists or navigating the depths of historical sagas or philosophical and anthropological narratives from ancient times, Andy’s infectious enthusiasm set our collective hearts ablaze.
With Andy’s guidance, reading became a journey of continuous exploration and mutual growth. He encouraged us to embrace diverse viewpoints, pushing us to question our preconceived ideas and moving us to our stretch zones.
For many years, we ventured into the expansive literature, uncovering new facets of ourselves and gaining a deeper appreciation for diverse cultures, a journey that continued until he reached the remarkable age of 101 and said a virtual farewell to us during his sleep.
Andy was another wise centenarian and a metaphorical angel who taught me valuable life lessons.
Beyond the sheer volume of books consumed, Andy’s dedication to comprehension was illuminated in his reflective insights.
He transformed our book club into an intellectual and spiritual sanctuary. He also taught us the importance of meditation after reading books.
His insights into complex plots and interactive wisdom in creative non-fiction created shared illumination with Dorothy’s guidance. Andy and Dorothy not only helped us become avid readers but also prolific writers.
As time unfolded, even after his death, Andy’s impact continued, molding my journey in literature and helping me to find a better version of myself.
His legacy wasn’t limited to the pages we shared as members. It echoed how I approached reading— a limitless source of knowledge, empathy, compassion, joy, and collective consciousness I cherish daily as an avid reader.
Andy’s legacy became an ode to the boundless joy embedded in my reading behavior. Using Andy’s principles, we created multiple book clubs by following the insights we gained from him and developed meaningful social connections.
He touched countless lives, leaving a lasting impact. Take Jeremy, a deaf person whom Andy assisted in amassing over 5,000 books. This collection became a source of enrichment, helping alleviate the challenges of deafness in Jeremy’s life.
Participating in these book clubs taught me that reading was a magical journey if done with a group containing like-minded people.
These interactions whisked me away to new worlds, introduced intriguing fictional and real characters, and imparted valuable lessons.
Yet, did you know that beyond its enchanting allure, reading holds numerous empirically proven benefits for our health, mental well-being, and relationships?
Brief Insights from the Scientific Literature
I studied the educational value of reading, but in this section, I focus on the mental health and well-being benefits for adults and children.
As documented in recent reviews, reading literature has long been suggested to impact mental well-being positively.
This perspective, termed creative bibliotherapy, suggests that the mental effects induced by poetry, fiction, and drama can be beneficial for treating mental health conditions.
Essentially, immersing ourselves in great literature attentively is believed to help alleviate stress, restore mental well-being, and invigorate the mind.
As reviewed studies highlight, this idea is particularly appealing in a world where the demand for affordable mental health resources exceeds the available supply.
Consequently, various famous authors have passionately supported the idea of using literature as a therapeutic intervention.
Additionally, services like The Reading Agency, The School of Life, and ReLit aim to connect readers facing challenges with literature that is thought to enhance their mental state.
This 2020 study titled “For the love of reading: Recreational reading reduces psychological distress in college students, and autonomous motivation is the key” used 231 university students from a large Canadian University.
Researchers identified that recreational reading was associated with reduced psychological distress over the school year.
Recreational reading seemed to buffer against the frustration of one’s basic psychological needs, which led to improved mental health over the school year.
Students who were more autonomously motivated reported reading more books recreationally. So, they concluded that recreational reading is a simple and cost-effective tool to help college students cope with mental health problems.
This 2022 review study attempted to answer the question, “Does reading fiction improve mental health and well-being? So, researchers presented the results of five studies that evaluated the impact of five forms of exposure to fiction.
The first three studies directly recruited participants; the final two relied on scraped social media data from Reddit and Twitter.
Results show that fiction can have a positive impact on measures of mood and emotion but that a process of mnemonic or cognitive consolidation is required first: exposure to fiction does not, on its own, have an immediate impact on well-being.
Based on my studies in cognitive science, reading has a tremendous impact on various brain regions, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, left temporal-parietal cortex, and left ventral occipital-temporal cortex activated by word decoding like orthographic and phonological processing.
For example, these researchers found that compared with children, adults had increased connectivity strength, nodal degree, and modular interactions for vision-related and semantics-related brain regions while decreased connectivity strength, nodal degree, and modular interactions for phonology-related brain regions.
As you can imagine, reading can be a stressful activity for the brain in the short term, although it lowers stress in the long term.
Therefore, Some people enjoy reading by listening to music in the background, as music not only increases cognition but also lowers stress levels. I listen to baroque music when reading.
Based on overall research, I’d like to summarize the ways that reading can make our lives better as takeaway points of this story.
Takeaways
Reading pleasant stories or poetry for a few minutes daily can lower chronic stress. Reading a physical book before bed can help us fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
Reading is a leisurely activity that can boost our mood and improve our well-being. In addition, regular reading enhances connectivity in the brain and can help us delay the onset of dementia.
Reading requires us to focus and concentrate on the text, which can help to improve our cognitive skills. Thus, staying mentally active throughout our lives can keep our minds sharp as we age, creating cognitive reserves.
Exposure to different genres and styles of writing can spark our creativity and help us to think outside the box. Fiction readers have been shown to have higher levels of empathy and emotional intelligence.
Couples who read and discuss books together report higher levels of relationship satisfaction. It is believed that book readers tend to live longer than non-readers, but we don’t have enough empirical evidence on this yet.
To improve your health, well-being, and relationships, you may consider reading books, stories, and articles. You make reading a social experience by joining a book club or reading group.
This is a great way to meet new people, share our thoughts on books, and learn from others. Andy’s wisdom teaches us the importance of exploring diverse perspectives and challenging the preconceived notions that might limit our understanding.
Beyond a leisurely pastime, prolific reading emerges as a journey of continual discovery and growth, each book a stepping stone in our evolution to finding our better version.
Thoughtful reflections and insights elevate our appreciation of literature, turning the act of reading into a profound and enriching experience.
While reading can be a solitary endeavor, it has the power to transform into a communal celebration. Shared experiences and collective discussions amplify insightful and joyful ideas penned by authors from all walks of life.
Reading can help us understand ourselves and the world better. As an avid reader and prolific writer, I wrote many articles about writing and reading. I hope you find some valuable ones from this collection.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
To inform my new readers, I wrote numerous articles that might inform and inspire you. Some topics I cover are brain and cognitive function, significant health conditions, valuable nutrients, ketogenic lifestyle, self-healing, weight management, and humor.
I contribute to multiple publications but keep my health and wellness stories on EUPHORIA. My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
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