5 Surprising Benefits Of Reading In Relationships

Last February 14 was Valentine’s. For that, my boyfriend skipped the universal tradition of giving flowers and wittingly gave me a book. His reason? He found out February 14 wasn’t only Valentine’s but also Book Giving Day.

Ah… love and books—two of my favorite things. To beautifully merge both occasions, my boyfriend and I spent the day cuddling in bed and reading the book—well, mostly, I was reading it and yapping to him about the story. And right then, I realized that there are surprising benefits of reading in relationships. That night, while I was reading and he was playing around with the characters and plot, I felt the most connected with him. We emotionally bonded over something so trivial, yet our conversations during that time felt alive.

Now, I’m not just being biased as a book lover.

Instead, I’m looking at this objectively and logically and sharing my claims with you in hopes of helping your relationships flourish.

Does Reading Improve Relationships?

Fundamentally, reading is only meant to improve one’s cognitive development, especially regarding linguistics. However, if you look at the activity and the concepts involved in it, you will realize how expansive its influence is. Lessons gained from reading materials are essential in improving life. The stress relief and creativity developed through it is also significant in enhancing life.

Despite evidence of its perks across different facets of life, the benefits of reading in relationships are usually overlooked. This is because reading is commonly viewed as a solo experience, not necessarily for couples. However, it can strengthen relationships in unexpected ways.

From Relationship Guides to Romance Novels

Whether it’s Retha Evans Ezell’s Love Leaps Forward memoir or any young adult (or spicy) romance novel, reading teaches you much more about love. After all, memoirs or not, these books are usually banked on authors’ personal experiences, thus offering heftier wisdom that resonates.

The example above, Retha Evans Ezell’s Love Leaps Forward, is the perfect example of a material where couples will evidently experience the benefits of reading in relationships.

A memoir of her experiences, the book doubles as a Marriage Manifesto, teaching readers compelling and factual pieces of advice to sustain and strengthen relationships. Love Leaps Forward is a document of Retha Ezell’s so-called E-Z way of loving your partner. It makes relationships more natural and consistent despite the storms that may pass.

If you’re curious about where to purchase Love Leaps Forward memoir to start your couple-reading journey, here are the online bookstores to visit:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble

Why Is Reading Good for Couples?

Although it’s typically a solitary practice, reading with your partner can be emotionally connecting. You don’t have to be uncomfortable sharing a book, and one doesn’t have to read the story to their partner. Instead, the benefits of reading in relationships primarily revolve around conversations or discussions one sparks after reading a story.

Sure, you can still practice a more couple-y reading habit of sharing a title to simultaneously read or alternately read to one another. However, the benefits of reading in relationships can be quickly reaped just by conversing about the book. This means the other doesn’t even have to know the story. They have to be interested in learning more about what interests their partner.

Aside from interesting and deep conversations after, what else does a good reading session provide?

Benefits of Reading in Relationships

I saw the underappreciated benefits of reading in relationships when I stopped dead in the middle of a hearty laugh, realizing how much we’re bonding over a simple story.

1: It Strengthens Emotional Intimacy

We weren’t even out and about. We were just at home, cuddled under a thick blanket, and I was reading the book while he had been scrolling on his phone earlier that night. It’s one of those nights where we’re doing different routines together. But the moment I opened up about the book, and he chimed in, our routines sort of just merged into one. At that moment, I realized that my solitary hobby became the bridge that allowed us to create a shared experience.

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Reading became a channel where we strengthened our emotional intimacy. Sure, we were cuddling, but a connection deeper than the physical level was also being enhanced. We were 100% engaging with each other, focused on bantering and making side comments about characters and their choices.

2: It Reduces Stress

Reading relaxes me. Like everyone else, it’s my source of escape and serenity, a way for me to calm my mind when times are getting tough. In this light, I believe this relaxation can rub off into the relationship. After all, arguments and conflicts are less likely to happen if nobody’s stressing out.

This soothing effect is among the best benefits of reading in relationships. While this doesn’t mean you get to have time out and read in the middle of an argument to calm down, a routine with reading in it can definitely contribute to fewer arguments with each other.

3: It Helps with Conflict Resolution

This is especially true if you’re reading one of those romance novels. They teach you better ways to communicate and express yourself by expanding your vocabulary and also giving you situations and their possible consequences. This is one of the most known benefits of reading that you can apply in relationships. Through these stories, you get to experience what happens if you approach a situation this way without actually suffering through the consequences.

Reading opens your mind and feeds you with different perspectives, which are among the prime benefits of reading in relationships. It’s not only giving you a glimpse of what happens but nurturing within you the capacity to better understand another’s point of view. For me, this is very beneficial as someone living with someone with a different approach in life.

4: It Sparks Romance

Again, this might be more applicable to romance readers, but it’s not necessarily limited to that. If you ask who the best lovers are, most would answer with a singular persona: Readers.

Now, if you ask why readers are the best to fall in love with, the answer is reflected in the books they read. Romance stories are the breeding ground for the sweetest sentiments and grandest gestures. And more often than not, these stories inspire people regarding their behaviors and traits to develop as lovers.

This doesn’t even have to be limited to fiction; even memoirs or self-help books can provide people with romantic lessons to improve relationships.

5: It Builds a Stronger Sense of Partnership

Reading, especially when done together and discussions are done simultaneously, encourages continuous growth and learning between partners. They don’t only learn about the creative world the author built but also ways to improve themselves and the relationship throughout.

One of the universal benefits of reading in relationships is how it teaches readers different values, especially empathy and open-mindedness. These benefits can become the primary reason reading becomes a cherished ritual in relationships.

So, if you’re looking for a good date idea, try looking into choosing a particular book and reading it together. This can even become a consistent routine within the relationship!