Alright. I’ll get straight to the point. Senioritis is hitting me right now. Hard. 

And I’m sure that’s the case for many of you guys as well. After all, our lack of motivation and productivity can be justified to an extent—we’re done with college apps, our senior grades hardly matter, all of that good stuff.

I’m sure that senioritis is consuming many, if not all, of us right now. I’ll be honest, I haven’t done Calculus homework in six days. Sometimes I dread the thought of jazz rehearsal and opt for a nice nap after school. And, as all of you know, I’m practically late to class every day (sorry Mrs. Trowbridge!).

But amidst my ever-growing spiral towards complete sloth-ism, there’s one thing that I’ve actually been doing a lot more—something that I’d never have guessed I’d be doing almost every day: reading.

Before most of you grill me for procrastinating my Beloved reading assignment, I’ve actually been reading books that really focus on the mind. Philosophy, economics, problem-solving, math, puzzles—all of these topics have recently captured my ever shortened attention span. And I encourage all of you guys to do the same.

Okay, hear me out. The truth is, probably over half of you haven’t touched a book (outside of required reading) since your days of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. That’s understandable. I was in your position about a month ago. But, when my mom replaced my typical Christmas present consisting of money and bags of junk food with Thinking, Fast and Slow, I’ve been hooked on reading ever since. 

Now, I’ll delve into the benefits of reading in just a second here, but I want to explain the actual reasoning behind my recent inspiration to read. The truth is, I had no intention of ever touching the book my mom gave me for Christmas. However, as I began to seriously reconsider my mentality as a second semester senior—constantly tired, barely using 5% of my brain, and severely lacking productivity—I realized that reading might be a half-decent option to return my brain to its prime without actually studying intermolecular forces and integrals.

After all, we all love our brains (at least, I hope), right? And second semester senior year is a prime time for us to begin letting go of our schoolwork and revert to the cognitively untaxing activities. But let’s look at the bigger picture here. We’re all going to college in a couple of months, we all want to get good grades and secure that high-paying job, yadda yadda yadda. So my reasoning in encouraging you all to read is as simple as this: let’s keep our brains well-functioning and prepared as we embark on one of the greatest journeys of our lives. 

Reading is probably the only thing keeping me as a fully functional human being right now. As I flip through the pages of The 125 Best Brain Teasers of all Time, I envision myself in my math class, rigorously searching through the nooks and crannies of my mind and searching for an answer. Or when I read One Up on Wall Street, I realize I’ve gaining important yet interesting knowledge that directly relates to my dream job. Heck, I even go back to fictional novels from time to time. 

Regardless of what you choose to read, its unequivocal effects should remain more or less the same—to keep your attention deeply fixated on one topic, fulfill your interests, and ultimately improve brain function.

According to Big Think, “the regions of your brain involved in spatial navigation and learning new information increase in size. It makes you more intelligent and empathetic.” Not that any of us are surprised, but reading has scientifically proven benefits to brain function. Now, I could sit here all day and bore you with psychology jargon regarding the positives of reading, but I’m well aware that we, as angsty teenagers, hate hearing this kind of stuff. So take it from your fellow senioritis-consumed classmate, and go pick up a book.  

And if you won’t take it from me, then take it from Carol Fitzgerald from Psychology Today. As a researcher and a blogger herself, I think her opinion is the best of both worlds; she says “people are interested in escape. You’ve got this encapsulated escape that you can enjoy.” 

I couldn’t agree more. As I immerse myself in mathematical theory and Greg Heffely’s pathetic middle school life, I forget about the college-related anxiety and Coronavirus that’s currently plaguing the world. And when I flip over the last page and place the book back onto my bookshelf, I can’t help but feel fulfilled and a tad more intelligent. 

So sure, my reason to read isn’t exactly the most elegant. I mean, it’s quite literally “we’re all lazy and unmotivated as hell right now, we should revive our intellectual vitality by reading words on a page.” So what? Regardless of how dumb the reasoning may be, it’s the actual benefits you gain from reading that really matters here. Who knows, maybe you’ll even continue reading as you continue your undergraduate studies at XYZ college. And if you do, you’ll thank me for writing this blog. 

If all of what you’ve just read still isn’t enough to convince you, then think of it this way. If you’ve taken the time to read this blog thoroughly, then I can’t see why you wouldn’t give reading a shot. The authors are more knowledgeable, interesting to read, and just overall better writers than I am. So what are you waiting for? 

Go read. 

_______________________________________________________

Works Cited

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201401/reading-fiction-improves-brain-connectivity-and-function

https://www.cambridgebrainsciences.com/more/articles/book-smarts-the-brain-benefits-of-reading

https://bigthink.com/21st-century-spirituality/reading-rewires-your-brain-for-more-intelligence-and-empathy