The Health and Wellness Benefits of Reading for Fun

I grew up reading lots of books as a kid. My parents enrolled me in summer reading camps at our local library; further incentivizing me to read more with ice cream and trips to the pool as rewards. I was never a fast reader, but winding down each evening with a few pages from my latest novel became a bedtime habit.

Even through high school, I continued to read, discovering the genre that interested me the most: mysteries. I graduated from Nancy Drew to true crime and psychological thrillers that I loved. My dad would always jokingly ask how many pages into the book it took the main character to stumble across a dead body. As much as I liked these books, it’s shocking I didn’t end up with a profession in criminal psychiatry or coroner pathologist!

I lost my love of reading during late undergraduate and all medical school. There was a festering guilt I imposed on myself that if I wasn’t reading a textbook or academic material, I was “wasting time” and chastised myself for not studying. And like any habit, once you stop, it is hard to get back into.

I got my first Kindle Paperwhite in 2020 after I had finished residency and was starting my first attending position with a traditional hospitalist schedule. I had taken my final board exam and with my new schedule, I found my academic guilt eased and with considerably more time on my hands than I was used to from residency. It was also peak Covid when everyone was stuck at home reading new books. With a focus on mental health and finding new socially-isolating habits, what a great time to pick up a novel again.

I started back slowly, picking up where I left off with my tried-and-true mystery novels. I found a few cute series that entertained me for a while but eventually tired of them. However, this Covid era was also the birth of the “romantasy” fad. So, finding myself in a rut, I took the bait and tried these as well. I typically preferred a modern, realistic storyline, and snubbed those reading adult fairytales with made-up creatures and difficult-to-pronounce names and cities. Much to my own surprise, I found myself loving this new genre. It created an element of escape; I could engross myself in a setting without modern troubles or rules. I think it also helped as a creative outlet. I could picture these fantastical lands and creatures that were described as best as the author could but still put my own vision on them. I found my love for reading again as a hobby and not as a chore or school requirement.

A famous quote from J.K. Rowling nails my sentiments on the head: “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” When was the last time you read a book you couldn’t put down? And not a journal article or a textbook, or something you are meant to read for work or teaching. If you’re in a reading rut, I challenge you try a new genre — you may discover a type of story you never even knew existed. And clearly from my anecdote, you’re allowed to grow and change styles and authors and genres altogether! Reading helps keep us well rounded, informed, educated and entertained. Maybe you’ll find a new vocabulary word to spice up your progress notes.

I find some of my closest friends have markedly different book tastes which always makes book exchanges interesting. Consider joining a local book club or find a social media personality and allow them to influence you into trying something new. So however you choose your next novel, I encourage you to keep reading for fun!