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writing 8 Benefits of Reading (or Ways Reading Makes You Better at Life) 27 Comments Last updated: December 17, 2014 Photo by celeste The public library is a phenomena that to this day I still can’t get over. Free knowledge, for anyone. Literally, anyone. I can’t think of an equivalent other than going to a clothing store, “checking out” an outfit, wearing the outfit and returning it in four weeks, free of charge. Except books are so much better than clothes. Recently I’ve been on a huge reading kick, checking out anything I can get my hands on in the library. (I’m writing a guest post on ZenHabits to detail some of the best stuff I’ve found, so more on that later.) I’ve found that no matter what I read, the act of reading every day has helped me in nearly every aspect of my life. Here are a few of my favorite ways that reading has improved my quality of life, and will definitely improve yours. 1. Enhanced Smarts Wow, this may be the most obvious statement of the post, right? Well, it turns out that reading helps in almost every area of smarts. Those that read have higher GPA’s, higher intelligence, and general knowledge than those that don’t. In Anne E. Cunningham’s paper What Reading Does for the Mind (pdf version), she found that reading, in general, makes you smarter, and it keeps you sharp as you age. No matter what you’re wanting to do or become, you can’t do it without more knowledge. Reading is an excellent way to get where you’re wanting to go. 2. Reading reduces stress When I’m reading a book, my mind shifts gears. Where I might have a had a stressful day, a book can easily distract me. Fiction is fantastic for this. Reading an awesome fiction book is perfect right before bed time. Though sometimes it’s hard to put the book down if it’s really good. Still, you’ll be relaxed ;)

8 Benefits of Reading (or Ways Reading Makes You Better at Life)

27 Comments

Last updated: December 17, 2014

Photo by celeste

The public library is a phenomena that to this day I still can’t get over Free knowledge, for anyone

Literally, anyone I can’t think of an equivalent other than going to a clothing store, “checking out” an outfit, wearing the outfit and returning it in four weeks, free of charge

Except books are so much better than clothes

Recently I’ve been on a huge reading kick, checking out anything I can get my hands on in the library (I’m writing a guest post on ZenHabits to detail some of the best stuff I’ve found, so more on that later.)

I’ve found that no matter what I read, the act of reading every day has helped me in nearly every aspect of

my life Here are a few of my favorite ways that reading has improved my quality of life, and will definitely improve yours

1 Enhanced Smarts

Wow, this may be the most obvious statement of the post, right? Well, it turns out that reading helps in almost every area of smarts Those that read have higher GPA’s, higher intelligence, and general

knowledge than those that don’t In Anne E Cunningham’s paper What Reading Does for the Mind (pdf version), she found that reading, in general, makes you smarter, and it keeps you sharp as you age

No matter what you’re wanting to do or become, you can’t do it without more knowledge Reading is an excellent way to get where you’re wanting to go

2 Reading reduces stress

When I’m reading a book, my mind shifts gears Where I might have a had a stressful day, a book can easily distract me Fiction is fantastic for this Reading an awesome fiction book is perfect right before bed time Though sometimes it’s hard to put the book down if it’s really good Still, you’ll be relaxed ;)

3 Greater tranquility

Reading can soothe like no other Given that I’m a pretty high-energy person, reading forces me to sit and

be still This daily act of making myself be quiet and still has been nothing short of miraculous for my anxiety and my “fidgety factor”

Lisa Bu has a fantastic TED talk about how reading can open you mind It’s only 6 minutes and well worth a watch

4 Improved analytical thinking

That’s right, ladies and germs Cunningham’s studies have found that analytical thinking is boosted by reading Readers improve their general knowledge, and more importantly are able to spot patterns quicker

If you can spot patterns quicker, your analytical skills receive a boost

5 Increased vocabulary

It’s no secret that reading increases your vocabulary and improves your spelling, but did you know that reading increases your vocabulary more than talking or direct teaching? Reading forces us to look at words that we might not have seen or heard recently at the pub In fact, language in children’s books are likely to

be more sophisticated than your average conversation

Increased vocabulary is especially crucial for bloggers or writers All successful writers will tell you that in order to write well, you need to read Every day You’ll be surprised at the words you start incorporating into your writing

A beefier vocabulary isn’t just for writers though Knowing what other people are saying and using the perfect words to convey your feelings is a critical part of being a better human Better listeners are more successful in life

(Side note: If you’re concerned with your well-being at previously mentioned pub, you might lay off the more obnoxious terms you’ve picked up.)

6 Improved memory

I have an awful memory Just ask my fiancee I usually can’t remember what I’ve eaten for breakfast, let

alone things like names and addresss Yet I’ve been finding that I can remember stuff much easier when I’ve been reading consistently Do I have any scientific data to match this up? Not really But I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that reading has somehow given me memory mojo

7 Improved writing skills

This isn’t much of a stretch, considering that reading improves vocabulary and critical thinking I feel like a

better writer, as I’m constantly surrounding myself with works from people who are better than me That’s why English classes in High School make you read “the classics” That’s why art students learn to copy masterpieces, so they know what creating something incredible should feel like

The more you read, the better of a writer you’ll become

8 Helps prioritize goals

Many times we’re certain we know what we “really want” in life Yet I’ve found that activities like reading show me things I didn’t know about myself My mind will drift to things that I’d really like to do, and it isn’t long that these little lapses in reading start to cycle The same sort of goals keep popping into my head,

allowing me to see what I really want to do.

For example, I’ve been playing music on a consistent basis, but I’ve always wanted to produce and

distribute my own music As I’ve been reading, I’ve found that song ideas and other general thoughts on music keep popping into my head It’s my times reading that have really pushed me into giving music a serious go

When you remove yourself from your work environment, you’ll start to see things that you might really want

to do, that you’re not doing yet Reading gives you a chance for your to wander

No time to read? No money for

books?

If you think that you don’t have enough time to start reading, you’re wrong How do I know? Because we make time for the things that are important to us How much TV do you watch? How much time do you spend trawling the web? You could easily replace reading with those activities

If you’re worried about the cost of books, check ’em out at the local library Most libraries take advantage of the interlibrary loan system, so you can check out nearly any book on the planet I also use Worldcat to find libraries in the area that might have my book

There’s really no excuse to start reading on a regular basis The benefits far outweigh the costs, and more knowledge never hurt anybody

SPORT

If I get the chance and nothing unusual happens, I would like to start playing basketball soon This is a sport that fascinates me a lot and after 4-5 months when I will finish my graduation, I will start playing this game on a regular basis In fact some of my neighbours already play this game every evening in a nearby basketball playground and all I have to do is start playing with them

They are very close to me and they’ll definitely welcome me to join their team I will need to buy a pair of sports trousers and shoes and spend some money to start playing it Actuality the expense is very low and that wouldn’t be a problem for me to start the activity

Though I often watched this game on television or in our local play-ground, I never played it myself May be I was bit anxious about the performance or skill of mine in this game and that’s why I have not started it yet I planned to start playing it when I was in grade 9, but because my family had to move to a new city, I could not start it

This is a game that fascinates me and since I often watch it on television, I have a great passion about it Two of my previous attempts to start playing this game were ruined and I feel somehow that has enhanced my interest about this game even more I need to shape my body and I found it would be a great game to do so That’s the most important reason I want to start it as soon as possible

Model Answer 1:

In our daily life, we communicate information through lots of different media like: internet, television, radio, books, cell phone, film etc We are living in such a time when information is one of the most important issues and the information technologies as well as the communication media greatly influence our lives The rapid-growing websites and TV channels are many of few little examples how media are spreading to make information easily accessible All the media for information interchange have advantages and disadvantages and not all can attract all types of audiences Comics, books, radios, televisions, film and theater are all very powerful media for communicating information In my opinion books, televisions and film among those aforementioned six media are most effective

Books are the witness of history and the main source from which we gain knowledge From very ancient period till now books are working as the light-house for our society In our early age, we gather most of our knowledge, skills from books It opens new horizons in front of us The writer writes down their experiences, imaginations, knowledge, explanation etc about each and every issue of our lives Books are the long lasting protocol to make a bridge among writers and readers

However, all are not happy to read books They expect something easier and more vivid Music, radios, films etc are more appealing to them Television is another powerful media Watching television is a part of our daily lives Most of the people who have a TV set, watch programs, news etc with apt attention It is a strong medium for Government and other organizations to send their messages to the mass population Program representatives also broad cast the people's view and opinions about different controversial issues in TV programs However, this medium has lots of demerits and bad impacts Government and politically biased organizations often send negative and misleading news Again young people watch different satellite channels and try to adopt the alien culture which is really harmful for the culture and tradition of a country

Films are audio-visual representation and can catch the attention of people from different geographical locations, races and cultures A good film can shape someone's morality and doctrine and the film-makers with their huge amount of money, are so careful to make their films realistic and eye-absorbing Every film has a direct or potential message or moral On the contrary, some films also bring a wrong message to us For example, protagonists are always smoking in the films and it seems that smoking is a good and smart habit It causes many younger people imitate them smoking

In conclusion, I would like to some up that books, televisions and films are the most powerful and effective medias for communicating information

Idea Generation for this IELTS Essay:

Essay Type: Comparing the advantages & disadvantages + Discussion.

Main question of this IELTS Essay:

A Pick three most effective media for communicating information.

B Compare advantages & disadvantages of these three media for communicating information.

C Explain why these three media are most effective for communicating information.

Comic:

Advantages: 'Comic' as a media for communicating information.

 Comic books provide information in the most interesting and interactive way to the readers

 It is more efficient for kids who are yet to start reading big books

 Comics are often very effective to convey information and to produce an aesthetic response to the readers

 Readers of comic books find it very easy to remember the information delivered by stories and cartoons in comics It is less time consuming to read a comic

 Comic books provide information to the reader in the most interesting and interactive way

 Comics represent the oldest continuous form of communication in history and a much revered form of

communication between generations

 Comics can transcend language and cultural boundaries

 Comics and comics’ techniques could be used in various types of business and technical communications When Google launched its Chrome Web Browser the accompanying technical documentation was a widely

distributed comic book The visitors guide for the European Organization for Nuclear research is also a comic and that proves the efficiency of comics to educate people

 Comic readers do not have to spend a lot of time on reading This is preferred by many readers who do not like reading pages after pages

Disadvantages: 'Comic' as a media for communicating information.

 While reading comics readers often do not pay attention on the main information due to irrelevant cartoon or story

 It can be a waste of time for reader who wanted to receive useful information from comics

 Comic books are often published based on pure fiction and imagination and might have negative effects on the psychology of young kids

 However, because of the simplicity of comic books, they can only communicate short information

 Not as much informative as books are

Books:

Advantages: 'Books' as a media for communicating information.

 Books are very instructive and effective in conveying information as they comprise the writer's thought and life experience and are usually written over a longer period of time

 Book is a significant media to receive information ranging from basic skills to professional knowledge

 Reading books helps us to nourish our mind and keep us moving forward in a positive direction

 A reader always has a wide range of choices to pick a book based on his/ her interest

 Books are ever lasting while the basic formation of other media changes a lot over the time

 Readers pay more attentions while reading a book and that is why they can learn better from reading

 Books are the accumulated version of history, knowledge, experience and wisdom Books have endless offerings and stories to bring out the best of creative readers

 Reading books can give us an insight into many different cultures, and civilizations

 The secret to a successful life is knowledge and information The answers to nearly all our problems and query are documented in text somewhere

 Books can stimulate and excite a reader’s imagination as well as arouse his curiosity, thus bringing out the creative oneself

 Books help to articulate our thoughts and reading books improve our vocabulary and communication skill

 Reading books is like peeking into the minds of the greatest people - A book is like a conversation with the writer and reading many books gives us an insight into the thinking process of different writers

 Intercultural understanding will be developed by reading more related books Humans will become more familiar with demographic of nations as they read more books about them

 Individuals will have a better comprehension, grammar, communication skill, and more variety of vocabularies

 Readers always have a wide range of options to read books that would entertain and interest them

 Books are portable and people can access it from almost anywhere

Disadvantages: 'Books' as a media for communicating information.

 Books are not always attractive to many people For those people books are not the greatest source of information and knowledge

 It required more patience and time to read books

 Book production requires cutting down trees which has a negative impact on our environment.

 Information presented on books could be outdated in many cases

 Sometimes a writer can instill an ideology to a reader and can influence his thinking in a negative way

 People have to have high level of literacy to read some specific and advanced books

Radio:

Advantages: 'Radio' as a media for communicating information.

 Accessible in anywhere and anytime, during driving or travelling

 Radio is less costly than the other media devices, like TV Unlike TV, which users have to pay a monthly payment for cable, Radio does not need this cost

 It is available in the rural areas as well

 Have less detrimental issues

Disadvantages: 'Radio' as a media for communicating information.

 No access to any visual features which TV has

 Less being developed compared to TV or other media devices Every year, new versions of TV, like

introducing of smart TVs, have led users to be satisfied more, while there are no any significant changes in the technology of Radio

 Less accepted by the new generation

Film:

Advantages: 'Film' as a media for communicating information.

 Becoming familiar with other cultures by watching movies

 Watching films is a kind of entertainment People have less stressful lifestyle by watching more films

 Some films improve viewers’ relationships Family films are the best ones helping families to have a better communication

Disadvantages: 'Film' as a media for communicating information.

 Cultural invasion can happen Young’s minds are more affected by watching other countries’ films

 Addiction to watching film may be costly and time-consuming We have to pay fees for Netflix or cinema, and have less enough time to concentrate on our work

 It can reduce juveniles’ study performance Instead of studying, they spend their precious time on watching plenty of films each month

 Violence and sex scenes shown on movies can phenomenally increase the rate of crime among viewers

[The above mentioned points should be helpful for you to generate your own ideas and then turning them in to a nicely written IELTS Essay Add any point you think we have missed in the comment section at the end of this article.]

Model Answer 2:

Communication media plays a vital role in today’s world It enables us to stay informed of the happenings in the entire world, provides access to real time information, and entertains us There are different kinds of media in use today, namely comics, books, radio, television, film, theatre etc Of these the most effective are television, radio and books

Television, or TV for short, is an electronic device that enables us to see and listen at the same time to an act that has been recorded These can be replayed any number of times News on a TV enables us to view the current events

occurring in different parts of the world Video of an event can be telecasted live as it happens through remote satellite links A TV can also be a source of education and entertainment Educational channels, such as Discovery channel, telecast several interesting programs on topics such as wildlife or solar system Other channels, such as Star movies, telecast movies throughout the day

A radio is an electronic device that uses microwave communication to send and receive information Unlike a TV, a radio cannot display an image or a video, and the communication is limited to voice only Typically, a radio is used for access information such as news and live traffic updates The information is conveyed on fixed bands of microwave frequency called channels A user can set the frequency of the radio to access a particular channel

Books are the one of the oldest kind of communication medium A book typically consists of several page made from wood pulp bound together A book is typically identified by a title and an author, and optionally an ISBN number which identifies a book uniquely A book usually contains a material on a given topic, divided by sub-topics in form of

chapters Books are often classified by genre, which is a theme in which the topic can be classified Examples of genres include fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, mystery etc

Of all the communication media available today, television, radio and books are the most important and effective ones These are also the most commonly used media in the world today, and are responsible for binding the world together

(Answer by Pankaj Kohli

MUSIC

Describe a piece of music that you like.

You should say:

 What is it

 Why you like it

 How often you listen it

and explain why it is a good piece of music.

Sample Answer:

The legendary song ‘Annie's Song’ by John Denver is a piece of music that I really like I like this song so much that every time I listen to it, I get a fresh and inspiring feeling This is probably the piece of song that I have listened several thousand times

This is a song that always inspires me and I like the lyrics and the music of this song John Denver and his band Beatles are always favourite to me and their songs are in my favourite list The ‘Annie’s Song’ is a piece of work that the world will revere for a long This is one of the most rated songs of the world history and I like it for the magical tone

it has I listen to music almost every day and this song is in my music player So I would say I listen to this music one

in every two days on an average

This particular song was sung by a gifted singer and the lyric is pretty impressive The music and vocal was just perfect to make it a legendary song I love it because of its appeal and magical power to me

Describe your favourite song or piece

of music.

You should say:

 What kind of music it is

 Where you usually listen to it

 Why you like it

and say what kind of mood this music puts you in.

Sample Answer:

The song 'High Hopes' sung by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd band is a song I have loved always and would hear often for the rest of my life Pink Floyds is famous for their progressive and psychedelic music and high quality lyrics This song falls under the progressive rock music genre and was the 11th song of the album Division Bell

I usually listen to this song in my computer and sometimes in my MP3 player with the head phone In fact I am a great fan of this music band and most of their songs are in my favorite list This song is specifically attractive for the music composition, lyrics and theme

This song reminds the past and compares how greener and full of possibility it was The church bell and the lyrics make an out of the world illusion that only people who love it would realize Every time I hear this song, I can feel my childhood, the sweet memory and the greener town I used to live This is song that opens a horizon for me to visit my past I love this song from my heart

This music puts me in a sad yet charming mood I feel sad that the past days won't be coming back and I won't have that childhood charm anymore On the other hand this song gives me a genuine pleasure of the memories of my childhood and all the friends and people I knew then

Similar Cue Card Topics

Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well:

1 Describe a song you often listen

2 Describe your favourite song or singer

3 Describe a piece of music you heard in your childhood

4 Describe a famous song in your country

Follow-up questions:

1 What would life be like without music?

Life without music would be quiet and dull What would we do at parties besides eating and talking? That might as well

be a meeting Think about the best party you’ve ever been to, how vibrant and outgoing everyone was Especially when everyone’s favorite jam came on Music helps me focus on projects when the house is soundless In the past I would drive around town aimlessly at night with nothing but music and my thoughts This helped my creativity

tremendously

2 Which is more important to you, music or TV?

Although television takes up a big chunk of my life I could probably do without it Music on the other hand is

irreplaceable I’m thinking to myself I could read the news & also read a novel that the blockbuster movie was adopted from Consequentially, I cannot read a song Novels are famously known for being better than the movie There is no possible way to hear music in any other form It all boils down to what can be replaced and what can’t

3 What kind of music do you like?

I’ve always had an infatuation with music since I was a kid My family likes to remind me of the time when I was two &

I learned to say “Jackson! Jackson!” then hobble/hop around when his songs were played Although my taste for music has evolved & diversified since then, music still holds a special place in my heart I listen to all types of music &

I am open to new music Having said that, as I am writing this I am listening to classical music because it helps me concentrate and be more resourceful The most common type of genre I listen to is Hip-Hop or Rap I really feel that rappers recite more contemporary poetry There are a few R&B artists I listen to regularly

4 What musical genre do you really hate? Why?

I detest American Country music It has got to be the lamest and depressing music genre available to the public I cannot pinpoint the exact reason why I abhor this heinous excuse for music but I will try Country music is extremely patriotic, quite irritating America is number one when most of the people that listen to that type of music probably have never left the proximity of their area code Music CEO’s realize that white American population are losing jobs to

“foreigners” so country music artists use that and say white America should love a pure America It’s a clever way to

be racist When in truth no one is a True American The lyrics are too simple but try too hard to be meaningful Country music has a kind twang that I loathe It will never grow on me & I try my hardest not to judge the people who listen to country music

5 What do you think of music your parents listen to?

My father has the same affection, if not more, for music as me While I was growing up I have fond memories with the family & there was always traditional or classical Iranian music playing during these moments Although I don’t have any Iranian music on my computer & never choose to listen to Iranian music I do like some of it However, I am not crazy about some of today’s popular Iranian songs because they always seem to be furrowing their brows while griping about love

6 Why do humans like music so much?

Without looking up scientific facts why the human species is drawn to music I can muse that music has been a part of