5 Reasons You Should Take Up Reading As A Hobby
“If you go home with someone and they don’t have any books, don’t fuck ’em.”
-John Waters
As a kid, I loved reading. I got sucked into the Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis, Phillip Pullman, J.K. Rowling, Piers Anthony, Redwall, the Game of Thrones, etc.
Not too surprising that I sought a career as a librarian. But for anyone out there who hasn’t yet gained a love for reading, here are 5 practical reasons you should take up reading as a hobby.
1. It’s educational
In America, schooling is obligatory between the ages of 5 and 16. All too often though, students hate school and can’t wait to finish. Unfortunately for those in the public school system, formal education and anything resembling it is tarnished from this point on.
Add in the rising costs of college tuition, even when inflation is accounted for, and how a college degree will no longer guarantee you a good job. Even the best and brightest (especially them?) will shy away from anything that sounds high-brow.
So, how do we supplement and augment the information our elders and politicians think is important for us to have?
Reading is one of those ways, and one of the best.
I’m not talking about reading newspapers or magazines. These two forms of media focus on emotional content and cater to low-level readers (the lowest common denominator for the greatest possible reach – thus profits.)
I mean real books. A book should be something that you look for. It should be intentional.
[This is why I’m not so keen on books as gifts.]
You should read a book that applies to your particular situation. Or one that introduces you to a new idea or way to live.
Reading a book is an investment of time more than money. You should invest your time in ways that will profit you.
2. Grow your empathy
Aside from adding to your stock of information, general knowledge, and vocabulary. Reading fiction can make you a more empathic person.
I mean, how can it not?
If you spend hours learning about someone else’s life, sympathizing with their plight, and hoping fervently that they come out on top, how can you isolate these thoughts from how you behave in real life?
So many parts of identity are distributed by chance when we’re born. Others are added based on the environments we grow up in. Well, reading allows us to peep outside of our personal narratives and see other people as well as we see ourselves.
Here’s a very typical example:
You are born healthy and whole and society labels you male at birth based on your primary sex characteristics. Your whole life, this is encouraged by your social milieu, gender stereotypes, the small population of your tiny town, and the exceedingly rare chance that you will run into anyone with a different idea about what sexual identity is.
It can be hard to bridge this gap in the real world.
At first look, you may be surprised or insulted by someone behaving differently or not accepting the status quo you’ve come to regard as omnipresent and unquestionable.
Books present you with the opportunity to imagine how people with different genders, ages, physical capacities, languages, castes, colors, wealth, social status, religions, cultures, and upbringings see the world.
What’s more, books do this in a non-threatening way, potentially even in the comfort and security of your own home.
Goodbye small, cis-gender, heteronormative world, hello everyone else!
3. Entertainment
In today’s world, we don’t lack for entertainment. There’s television, games, music, film, cinema, sport, and on and on.
But I would wager, in terms of cost per hour of entertainment, reading a book is one of the cheapest methods to get your jollies.
Maybe not with newer books, but used books are certainly in the bargain camp.
Think about it, how much does it cost to go see a movie in a cinema? Somewhere between $6-$13?
How long does the movie last? Maybe two hours?
Go to a used book shop and you’ll easily find books for $6 or under. Way less if you go to a used book sale like the Friends of the Library Book Sale in Ithaca NY and get a bag of books for one dollar.
[Obviously, the books are free if you have access to a library, adding even more weight to my argument.]
How long does it take to read one of those books? 3-6 hours maybe. More if you’re looking at something dense or complicated.
So, assuming you find a used book for $6 and your movie ticket is the same price.
If the book takes you three hours to read, compared to watching a movie at the cinema, it represents a 50% improvement on the bang for your buck. And what if the book will take a little longer to read, 6 hours maybe?
The 6-hour book for $6 represents a 300% improvement compared to a $6, 2-hour movie at the cinema
A 50-300% return for the same price/hour of entertainment is very impressive in my opinion.
Bang for Buck Ratio
I know, there are holes in this argument. It’s not so clear when it comes to the price of television per hour. The calculus with movies that you get at the library is equally open to argument.
But that’s the thing, this is just one reason why reading should be one of your hobbies. Even if you don’t think books represent a good economical argument there are still three others that hold water.
Besides, I’m not saying that you should cut yourself off from other forms of media. I’m just saying the reading is a highly economical way to steep yourself in culture.
Feel free to play around with some of these links to figure out how fast of a reader you are, or how long it will take you to read a book.
4. Connect with Others
Ever go to someone’s house and see a bookcase in the room?
I’m the kind of person who makes a beeline for the bookshelf as soon as necessary social pleasantries are finished.
What an incredible way to get inside someone’s head!
It’s like sitting in on their therapy session.
Not only will reading books allow you to connect with other people, but you’ll also be able to trace their mental models. You’ll be able to observe their intellectual development. You’ll get a hint at their politics and interests.
Maybe their books are a red flag. Maybe you should learn what is inside the books to know who to avoid.
See here for some books that I think should actually be put into Hogwarts’ restricted section.
If you’re an introvert as so many readers are, here’s a way for other people to engage you in conversation. They might even be introverts themselves just looking for an obvious discussion handle to grasp.
One thing I like when reading is that other people are given immediate license to talk to you about your book.
And this doesn’t have to be a high-pressure, one-sided interview. You can easily turn any questions around and give the inquisitor a dose of their own medicine.
If random bystanders talking to you isn’t something you’re into, an audiobook will be more discreet.
5. Reading is sexy
No argument needed here.
What do you think? Am I preaching to the choir? Should this article be turned into a Youtube video?