4ways Celebrate World Book Day
March 5th 2026 was World Book Day, and here at 4ways, we’re spreading awareness of the benefits that reading can have on your health.
World Book Day has been celebrated in the UK for nearly 30 years and was originally held on April 23rd. In recent years, it has been celebrated on the first Thursday of March, so as not to conflict with Easter celebrations.
Reading can be a great way to improve your health. From the physical benefits like reducing stress, to the social aspects of meeting others with similar interests, reading can have a wonderful effect on your body and mind.
Reading is so important to us at 4ways, and to help celebrate World Book Day, we have launched free libraries in our break rooms, to encourage our staff to pick up a book and relax on their breaks.
Reading Reduces Stress
Looking for ways to relax after a hard day?
It has been said that reading significantly reduces stress. A study by Dr David Lewis, a cognitive neuropsychologist, showed that reading for just 6 minutes led to a 68% stress reduction.
Reading Improves Your Vocabulary
Reading for pleasure has been proven to increase your vocabulary, according to a 2017 study by UCL. (Sullivan, et al., 2017) so, if you’re looking to learn some new words, pick up a book!
Reading Helps You To Develop Empathy
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes can be difficult at times, but according to some researchers, reading fiction can ‘make good citizens because reading may improve one’s ability to empathize with and understand the thoughts and feelings of other people’ (Tamir, 2016).
Reading stories can help you to engage with other people and see different perspectives.
Reading Helps With Memory Retention
Researchers say that ‘reading fiction can improve individuals’ social-cognitive abilities’ (Tamir, 2016).
It is well known that learning new things can help to increase your focus, but did you know that reading actually helps with memory loss? It ‘stimulates the memory circuits in the brain, improving both short-term and long-term memory’ (CollegeNP, 2024)
Reading Can Help You Increase Your Social Interaction
Although usually seen as a solitary activity, reading can actually increase your social interaction by way of book groups, online discussions, author signings, etc.
Reading Can Help To Lower Your Risk of Developing Dementia
It’s been said that reading helps to lower your risk of dementia as your brain remains constantly active.