Reading Linked With Happiness And Academic Progress

I’ve always read books as a child, and I continue to do so as an adult. Some call it habit, but I call it pleasure: reading just makes me happy. I always like to encourage reading as a teacher in primary. My teachers and family always did, and I’ve always found pleasure in the relaxing atmosphere it puts me in.

Reading is linked with academic success and a greater imagination. A scholarly text by Christy Whitten, Sandra Labby, and Sam Sullivan (2016) in The Impact of Pleasure Reading state that, “Pleasure reading builds reading comprehension, increases background knowledge (which is useful in all content areas), increases student vocabulary skills, and has been shown to increase our understanding of human behavior and help us to empathize with others (Murphy, 2013). Pleasure readers not only experience greater success academically than their non-reading counterparts, pleasure readers go on to experience greater success in the workforce.”

Ten minutes of reading a day, or reading with an adult, is enough to fuel this pleasure. It’s a beautifully calming activity in the car/bus rides, on holiday, and/or before bed. And it’s a habit that sticks with you.

Happy Reading! 🙂

Ms. Yasmin