When a person wants to escape from worries, “live” a different life, or just “kill” time, he takes a book and starts reading. Forgetting about everything in the world, he "goes" to parallel worlds, or becomes a hero who saved humanity. And with the help of books alone, a person can learn foreign languages or become a great scientist.
Books provide an opportunity to escape from your own thoughts
When there are some unresolved problems, or you just want to relax and get a charge of pleasant emotions, a person takes a book and starts reading.
The reader begins to "plunge" more and more into the story if it is written with talent and interest. He seems to really float in a huge submarine, with round windows from floor to ceiling, and huge sperm whales frolic in the water column, penetrated by the sun's rays.
Reading the book, you can "merge" into one whole with the hero of the book, who unexpectedly discovered his paranormal abilities, and began to travel to unknown worlds. As you read the book, you might wonder if the world you live in is really that real.
Experience and self-development
You gain experience by reading books. And the more you look like the hero of the book, the more vividly his mistakes and achievements are remembered. In real life, you involuntarily begin to build your own behavior in such a way as to prevent the mistakes that he made.
A good book is like a kind and intelligent conversation partner. In the process of reading, you seem to communicate and consult. What are the characters in the book doing? Why? You begin to think about what you would do in the situations described. You develop trying to figure out what could be done. The more the book involves you in the process of thinking about different situations, the more it helps you to understand the reasons for your own behavior.
Books give knowledge. There are cases when people sentenced to many years in prison began to read constantly, and with the help of only books they learned foreign languages, or became outstanding scientists.
Forgiving yourself
A good book also helps you forgive yourself. You see that the hero of the book is doing the wrong thing. He also sometimes "stumbles", as you do in life. But from the plot of the story, it is clear that the character you sympathize with is a very good person, he is sincerely trying to correct mistakes. And therefore you forgive him. And when you forgive, you “forgive” your own sins. At the very least, stop constantly judging yourself for them. Become kinder and more human, more compassionate towards others.
Joy and happiness
Empathizing with the heroes of the book, the reader is emotionally involved in the plot. When a happy ending comes, he rejoices, experiences a feeling of relief and happiness. And he gets psychological relaxation and peace of mind for a while.
