Reading is good for more than just entertainment. Committing part of everyday to reading printed books can make you a smarter， kinder， more relaxed individual. And the positive effects can be felt at any age： Even before theyve fully developed their reading skills， kids can benefit from having access to printed materials and being read to on a regular basis. Exposing kids to books， magazines， and more at an early age is a great way to encourage them to be life-long readers， which means theyll reap these benefits for years to come.

读书的好处不仅仅是自娱自乐。把每天一部分时间用于阅读纸质书籍，能让你成为一个更聪明、更善良、更冷静的人。这种积极的影响任何年龄均可受益：甚至在孩子们阅读技能完全成熟前，他们就能从阅读纸质书籍和定期阅读中受益。孩子在很小的时候就接触书籍、杂志等能激励他们养成终身阅读的习惯，这会让他们的未来几年在以下方面受益。

1. Reading can boost intelligence.

阅读可以提高智力。

People who exhibit strong reading skills early in life grow up to be more intelligent. That was the finding of a study published in 2014 that measured the cognitive development of 1，890 sets of identical twins. When two twins shared the same genes and home environments， early reading skills appeared to be the factor that decided which twin would be better at both verbal tests （like vocabulary） and non-verbal tests （like reasoning tests）. Because reading ability is something thats learned， the study authors concluded that more emphasis should be placed on teaching strong reading skills to young children.

在年幼时表现出较强阅读能力的人长大后会更聪明，2014年发表的一项研究结果表明，通过研究1890对同卵双胞胎的认知发展可得出这样的结论。当两个双胞胎拥有相同的基因和家庭环境时，早期的阅读能力似乎是决定哪一个双胞胎在语言测试（如词汇）和非语言测试（如推理测试）中表现更好的因素。由于阅读能力是后天习得的，研究人员得出结论，应更强调向幼儿传授阅读技能。

2. Reading helps increase empathy.

阅读有助于增加同理心。

Reading books doesnt just make you smarter—it can make you a kinder person as well. According to a study， people who consume literary fiction have an easier time sensing and relating to emotions in other people. This effect likely has something to do with the way such books are written： Great literature forces readers to step outside themselves and empathize with the characters theyre reading about.

讀书不仅能让你更聪明，还能让你成为一个更善良的人。研究表明，阅读文学类图书的人更容易感知和联结他人的情感。这种影响可能与此类书籍的写作方式有关：伟大的文学作品会使读者走出自我，对他们所阅读的人物产生共鸣。

3. Reading can lower stress.

阅读可以缓解压力。

Feel stressed at the end of a long day？ Cracking open a book is a good way to wind down. A study found that reading for just 30 minutes has similar stress-reducing effects to doing 30 minutes of yoga.

你会在漫长的一天结束后感到压力很大吗？打开一本书是一种放松的好方法。研究发现，30分钟的阅读和30分钟的瑜伽练习有相似的减压效果。

4. Reading may change your brain.

阅读可能会改变你的大脑。

Even after you put down a book， the effects of reading it are still present in your brain. A study discovered that when people read fiction with a strong narrative and plot， their brains continue to behave differently hours and even days later. The brains of readers show increased connectivity in the left temporal cortex—the region responsible for language receptivity—even hours after theyve stopped reading. This suggests that reading can train the mind and boost neural function through a process thats similar to muscle memory.

即使你放下了书本，阅读的效果仍会存在于你的大脑中。……