Reading is such an integral part of my life that I was completely dismayed by the results of a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll of over 1,000 U.S. adults: one in four adults said they read no books at all in the past year.

This is clearly one of the reasons for the “dumbing down” of American society because if you don’t read, you are not challenging your brain (a key to staying sharp mentally as you age) as much as you could be, and you are missing out on a wealth of information.

Personally, I also enjoy learning by audio (I love to download lectures onto my MP3 player), but nothing can pass up good old-fashioned reading.

Why?

Studies have found major benefits to people who read frequently, such as:

• Among students, frequent readers are more likely to be successful in the future
• Reading aloud to children helps them with language and speech development, and develops their sense of curiosity and imagination
• People who read a lot of fiction books tend to be highly empathetic and better able to judge people in social situations than those who don’t
• It’s stress relieving

Sadly, another study I posted earlier this year found similar, startling statistics, including the fact that one-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

I would encourage everyone, young and old, to read as much as they can, and as wide a variety of material as possible. We have an excellent selection of highly recommended books to choose from if you need some inspiration to get started.

And, for those of you who are already avid readers (as I suspect many of you newsletter readers are), check out these great tips on how to speed read. The only thing better than reading, in my opinion, is knowing how to do it quickly! I am convinced that the ability to read quickly is an essential tool to success, as it will allow you to learn the amazing knowledge that has been compiled by those who went before us.

CNN.com August 21, 2007