Snap Language

What People Think is “Real” Reading

If you search online for “what should I read?” you get millions of hits. Most of them suggest books, usually novels or famous literature. Some websites like BuzzFeed match TV shows with books you might like. YouTube channels about reading also suggest mostly books.

Many people use the words “reading” and “reading books” as if they mean the same thing. Nonetheless, reading is much more than just reading novels or classic literature.

Think about this: Does it count as reading when you read a magazine? A newspaper? A recipe? A blog about your favorite hobby? Most people would say yes, but they don’t always think about these as “real” reading. They may spend hours reading magazines, work-related reports, and blogs and still think that they did not read much simply because they did not read a book.

How Reading Helps Your Brain

After all, is an avid reader someone who reads a lot for whatever reason or someone who reads a lot of literature? The important thing is that reading makes your brain work. This happens whether you read fiction stories or factual information. Your brain gets the same benefits from reading a cookbook as it does from reading a novel.

Many Different Types of Reading

Writers share ideas in many different ways. Here are some examples of different types of reading materials:

If you only read one type of material, you might miss other useful or interesting ideas. Libraries keep many different kinds of materials because people share knowledge in many different ways. Reading different types of texts helps you learn more about the world.

Why Do We Read?

People read for different reasons, and all of them can be equally important and valid to the individual.

What Studies Tell Us

Research shows that children read more when they can choose what to read. People who read a lot often pick their own reading materials. This suggests that having choices makes reading more enjoyable.

Tips for Better Reading Habits

If you want to read more, or if you don't enjoy reading yet, below are some ideas that research supports.

Reading in the Digital Age

Today, much of our reading happens on computers, phones, and tablets. Digital reading includes some special challenges:

Online texts often have links to other pages. You need to decide which links to follow and which ones to ignore. You also need to think about whether the information you find online is reliable.

Many online texts combine words with pictures, videos, and sounds. Learning to understand all these different types of information together is an important skill in today's world.

eBooks allow you to listen to someone reading a book to you. They a still activate your brain and allow you to learn the content; however, they may reduce the amount of engagement in that, for example, you cannot underline important parts of the text or write marginal notes. Nonetheless, many people find it easier to focus and learn by listening, and they can follow along the actual written text.

Conclusion

So, what counts as reading? The answer is: many things! Reading isn't just about novels or classic literature. When you read emails, news articles, blogs, recipes, or instruction manuals, you are really reading.

All types of reading help your brain grow and learn. The most important thing is to read regularly and to choose materials that interest you.

What do you think? After reading this article, how has your idea of "reading" changed? What types of reading do you do most often?