Roughly 42 percent of students will never open up a book after they graduate.

This is a staggering statistic that would decrease if the populace knew the benefits of reading books. A couple inches of stacked paper printed with exposition can give rise to a heap of benefits.

Studies have shown that reading a book for just six minutes a day can reduce stress levels up to 68 percent, improve writing skills, and even prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.

Here are five reasons why reading books on the daily is an advantageous and beneficial practice for all individuals.

1) Books are a means of escape.

“No two persons ever read the same book.” –American writer, literary and social critic, Edmund Wilson.

Diving and immersing your mind in literature is an escape from the daily strains of life. A story of fairy tale, Sci-fi, murder mystery, or even bibliographies with exceptional individuals living astonishing lives feed our appetite for entertainment and fantasizing.

Each piece of literature is a look into the mind of another, into another realm, and we are given the opportunity to translate those words and stories into a cinematic movie in our own heads.

Words are specific to every individual’s paradigm and have the effect of being translated and visualized based on the understanding thereof.

Books enable us to fly the coop from the everyday routine. With the perpetual smorgasbord of lit available to cut into, any prose that fits your fancy can be satisfied, and every escape imaginable obtained with each flip of a page or scroll of a mouse.

2) Reading enhances the creative mind and imagination.

“A book is a device to ignite the imagination.” – English playwright, screenwriter, actor and author, Alan Bennett.

Our brains are constantly yearning for stimulation, for a way to be exercised and built into a finely tuned machine of imagination and creativity.

Those that read regularly have more potential to think up what has not been thought of before. They gain insight and tap into the uncharted spaces in their minds, which allow alternate views of life and fantasy to be shed so they may grow and develop, squeezing out the creative juices original to each individual.

3) Communication skills will wax strong.

“As vocabulary is reduced, so are the number of feelings you can express, the number of events you can describe, the number of the things you can identify! Not only understanding is limited, but also experience. Man grows by language. Whenever he limits language he retrogresses!” – American Writer of Science Fiction, Sherri S. Tepper.

Reading enhances your vocabulary. As long as you are reading around college-level reading, you are bound to cross paths with new and interesting words. The level of communication with fellow human beings will be enhanced exponentially with the new level of verbiage and confidence you will possess in the written and spoken word.

Always carry around a dictionary or thesaurus when reading, so when that foreign word crosses your line of sight, a quick look up will bring a new addition to your vocabulary. Chances are there will be an opportunity to use the word in future conversation. The more efficient your communication becomes, the more you will be able to express yourself with confidence in a clear and succinct manner.

4) Brain Power.

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn the more places you’ll go.” – Children’s book writer, Dr. Suess.

Books provision all-encompassing knowledge of the past, present and future. If you wish to learn something, chances are you will find what you’re looking for in some book or reading material. Reading the right material will open doors to a vast amount of knowledge, and with knowledge comes power and success. Blogs, Tweets and summarized internet regurgitations will not provide the amount of in-depth reading or knowledge that a book provides. These social windows were made for ease of access and quick assimilation of information with easy of the main points and snippets.

Fully enveloping in the whole enchilada of a book is more beneficial to the cognitive functions of the brain. Reading a book doesn’t dumb us down with the summarized type of reading that the Internet provides. It is a focused and in-depth method of absorbing information, without the constant distraction of bombarding ads and activity that lures the eyes away. Those who read books are more focused, and less neurotic.

5) People who read are much more interesting.

“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”

– American essayist, lecturer and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

People who read are just more exposed to the world, they travel all ends of the earth with stories of far away places, and the content fiction or non-fiction absorbed through reading gives them an intriguing magnetism. They are knowledgeable, creative and much more likely to hold an interesting and stimulating conversation.

These people never lose ground on what to talk about because of the copious amounts of information and exposure they receive from literature. As well as being filled with a wide array of subject matter floating in their minds, habitual readers are usually more inquisitive and curious in regards to many of life’s question.

They are constantly seeking out new and unexplored prose filled with new ideas that broaden their mind. Through reading, they expand their reach of connecting with a myriad of people, groups and new experiences derivative of their reading habits.