The Mental Health Benefits of Reading

At The Bulmershe School, we know that reading is not just a key academic skill—it’s also a powerful tool for supporting mental well-being. In today’s fast-paced world, taking time to read can help students relax, reduce stress, and develop emotional resilience.

How Reading Supports Mental Health

• Reduces Stress – Getting lost in a good book can lower stress levels, helping students unwind and feel calmer after a busy day.
• Boosts Focus and Concentration – In an age of digital distractions, regular reading strengthens attention span and improves focus.
• Encourages Mindfulness – Whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, or poetry, reading allows students to be present in the moment, much like mindfulness techniques.
• Builds Emotional Intelligence – Through books, students explore different perspectives, develop empathy, and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.

How We Promote Reading at Bulmershe

At Bulmershe, we actively encourage students to read for pleasure. Our well-stocked library, engaging reading initiatives, and dedicated English team all help to foster a love of reading. Whether students enjoy novels, graphic novels, or non-fiction, we support them in finding books that spark their imagination and inspire them.

1. Reading is pleasurable

When you start to read a really good book it is often hard to put it down, the story captivates you and time disappears as you become absorbed. When you reach the end, you feel sad because it is over, or you are eager to get the next book in the series. It is a wonderful feeling and choosing to read a book can provide a number of other benefits.

2. Reading can reduce stress

Losing yourself in a good book has been shown to reduce your levels of stress. Research by Dr David Lewis showed that reading as little as six minutes a day can reduce stress levels by 60% by reducing your heart rate, easing muscle tension and altering your state of mind. That same study showed that reading was better at reducing stress than music, drinking a cup of tea, going for a walk and playing video games.

3. Reading can provide an escape from the real world

Closely linked to reducing stress levels when you read is the ability to escape from the real world. People often become immersed in that world and that can help them to forget their worries. Research has shown that escapism is more complex than just reading for light-hearted entertainment, but it did show that people found the process transformative changing the way people interact with the world and others.

4. Reading helps you develop empathy for others

People who read fiction have been shown to improve your level of empathy, the ability for you to understand someone else’s belief’s, feelings and thoughts. Known as the theory of mind. Research has shown that people exposed to fiction predicted the results of an empathy task and even positively correlated with social support. Further research into the impact of fiction on empathy showed that it was temporarily enhanced after reading fiction.

5. Reading works your brain and prevents memory loss

Participating in cognitive activities, such as reading over your life time (both early and later in life) was shown to slow down memory loss when compared to those who didn’t participate in mentally stimulating activities. The same study also found that the rate of mental decline was reduced by 32%

when people participated in reading, writing and other activities later on in life. While those with infrequent stimulating activity found that their decline was 48% faster than those with average activity.

6. Reading groups help to treat mental health issues

Scientific research shows that reading and then talking about what you have read could be beneficial to mental health and well-being. There is something called bibliotherapy and it has a profound effect on people suffering with depression. Liverpool Health Inequalities Research Institute examined a two weekly reading group program for people diagnosed with depression over a 12-month period and reported a significant improvement to mental health. Participants reported improved concentration, better emotional understanding, increased self-awareness, and the ability to discuss meaningful issues related to self and being.

7. Reading helps teenagers develop insights into being an adult

Becoming an adult can be tricky – a lot of things change during this time and exploring self-identity is crucial. Research has shown that reading for pleasure in teenagers has three key benefits, reading was shown to enhance academic performance, social engagement and personal development. Fiction helped teens by providing significant insights into mature relationships, personal values and cultural identity all of which are important in the transition from being a child to becoming an adult.

8. Reading can make you smarter

People can often feel smarter after reading books. They learn new things, experience different cultures, understand themselves better and research has shown that reading does in fact make us smarter. Cognitive differences have been seen between those who read a lot and those who read a little. People who are exposed to more written information are associated with higher vocabulary, general knowledge, and verbal skills.

So, what are you waiting for? Get yourself down to your local bookshop or library, immerse yourself in another world and improve your mental health at the same time.