Those who read books benefit from what they learn and the entertainment they receive. But in addition, they get to exercise their brain, and when we do that, we feel satisfied that we are spending our time wisely.

Which would you choose to be, a person with an ever-decreasing attention span, or a person with an ever-increasing attention span? A person with access to the second-and third-rate work that would have been considered trash two decades ago, or a person with access to the work of the greatest minds we have ever known? A person with access to a perpetual run of the same basic story with the same basic characters, or a person with access to an array of choices that span nearly an infinite imagination? A person who likely won’t be able to remember a story ten minutes later, or a person who might carry a tale for the rest of his or her life?

Which would you rather be, a person who usually spends his or her free time in front of the television, or a person who usually spends his or her free time reading?

Reading engages the mind. Reading materials, by exercising our memory and imagination, can contribute to happiness in ways similar to active positive thinking. Regular readers are about 8 percent more likely to express daily satisfaction.

    你想成为什么样的人呢，是集中注意力时间逐渐降低的人呢？还是集中注意力时间逐步延长的人呢？你是想从事20年前被认为是无用的二三流的工作呢，还是想从事脑力工作呢？你是想成为一个一成不变的人呢，还是想成为一个充满想像力的人呢？你是想要做十分钟就忘记一个故事的人呢，还是去做一个后半生都能记住每一个故事的人呢？

    你是愿意把所有的业余时间花在看电视上呢，还是用来读书呢？

    读书是大脑的运动。从阅读中锻炼记忆力和想像力，就像积极的思考一样，能给人带来快乐。定期读书的人对生活的满意程度要比其他人高8%。