Most people don’t start reading because they want to become successful. When we’re children, outcomes are the last thing on our minds. We simply engage in activities for their own sake, something we’d do well to remember as adults. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, along with the sheer joy of reading, it also appears that there’s a strong link between reading and success, making it an essential activity<\/a> for personal development. In this article, we’ll explore the evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we do that, let’s look at some reading stats:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It appears there’s a strong correlation<\/a> between reading a success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s review the science on the topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Per capita incomes are higher<\/a> in countries where more adults reach the highest levels of literacy proficiency and fewer adults are at the lowest levels of literacy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to this research<\/a> on socio-economic inequalities in cognitive test scores at age 16,<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Reading for pleasure is more important for children’s cognitive development than their parents’ level of education and is a more powerful factor in life achievement than socio-economic background.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to an Oxford study<\/a>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Reading books is the only out-of-school activity for 16-year-olds that is linked to getting a managerial or professional job in later life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although potentially limited by a small sample size, shared reading provided evidence<\/a> of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “…five intrinsic benefits associated with Shared Reading: liveness, creative inarticulacy, the emotional, the personal and the group (or collective identity construction). Quantitative data additionally showed that the intervention is associated with enhancement of a sense of \u2018Purpose in Life\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As children, we’re heavily dependent on building our cognitive faculties through reading – and this clearly translates to future socioeconomic advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avid readers are open to new opinions and insights – flexibility which translates to a more opportunistic mindset. Clearly, in a professional, or entrepreneurial context, this pays dividends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcoming new ideas through the content we consume allows us to incorporate new suggestions and beliefs, allowing us to shift our worldview, for better results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Books also provide important talking points that can be used to facilitate the exchange of ideas and connect with prominent people, helping us develop congruent social circles and beneficial workplace dynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Books<\/a>, by their very nature, have the added inspirational benefit, providing the motivating force and activation energy needed to change our behaviour and adopt more productive patterns of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, depending on the type of material we consume, concrete knowledge is accrued. I distinctly remember reading ‘Mindfulness, Finding Peace in a Frantic World’ and gaining all the knowledge needed to start a life-changing daily meditation<\/a> practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other skills-based benefits of reading include an attribute that distinguishes many successful individuals – communication<\/a>. Consuming copious books helps to improve our writing skills and diction, helping us to deconstruct complicated ideas and convey them clearly and succinctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Successful people know that such benefits are only one book away.<\/p>\n\n\n\nReading statistics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The correlation between reading and success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why does reading lead to success?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n