Authoritative stances abound on whether reading matters—and more importantly, if so, how—but here are a few you can take or leave. This one says that deep reading of great literature has the potential to make you a better human being:
Recent research in cognitive science, psychology and neuroscience has demonstrated that deep reading—slow, immersive, rich in sensory detail and emotional and moral complexity—is a distinctive experience, different in kind from the mere decoding of words. That immersion is supported by the way the brain handles language rich in detail, allusion and metaphor: by creating a mental representation that draws on the same brain regions that would be active if the scene were unfolding in real life. The emotional situations and moral dilemmas that are the stuff of literature are also vigorous exercise for the brain, propelling us inside the heads of fictional characters and even, studies suggest, increasing our real-life capacity for empathy.
This essay by Gregory Currie dismantles the philosophical arguments that try to make the same or similar arguments:
We are poor at knowing why we make the choices we do, and we fail to recognize the tiny changes in circumstances that can shift us from one choice to another. When it comes to other people, can you be confident that your intelligent, socially attuned and generous friend who reads Proust got that way partly because of the reading? Might it not be the other way around: that bright, socially competent and empathic people are more likely than others to find pleasure in the complex representations of human interaction we find in literature?
This one argues where it matter most: Reading Makes You Sexy.
Almost a quarter of men — 22 per cent — who struggle with reading still live with their parents, compared with just nine per cent of those with good literacy. The study showed that by the age of 34, 68 per cent of men and 70 per cent of women with good literacy skills are co-habiting or married, compared to 52 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women who find it difficult. Just half of people who struggle with books claim to be “satisfied with life”, compared with 78 per cent of those who can read well. Literate people also tend to be better paid and smoke less.