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Reasons to Read during Mental Health Awareness Month

May 17, 2025

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the internet abounds with suggestions for getting and staying emotionally healthy. One means of improving well-being is near and dear to our hearts here at the South Dakota Humanities Council: reading.

You probably know intuitively that reading offers benefits ranging from education to entertainment. But did you know that these and other concrete benefits are backed by science?

To learn more, check out these articles:

  • Why Reading Is Good for Mental Health: The National Alliance on Mental Illness (California) compiled a list of benefits anyone can reap from even casual reading. They include reduced stress and increased understanding of others.
  • The Mental Health Benefits of Reading: Curating a reading list specifically to address an individual’s needs is known as bibliotherapy. Psychology Today explains that this term usually refers to a professional therapeutic process, but some of the same impacts can occur in less formal settings.
  • Mindful Reading and Mental Health: The Baylor College of Medicine suggests that mindful reading, which requires practice in reducing distractions and focusing attention, provides benefits much like those of meditation.

Not sure where to start? Any title will do, but if you want to focus on topics related to mental health, you can find lists compiled by several publishers, including Pan MacMillan and Penguin Random House. And remember, you can always visit SDHC’s Book Club to Go webpage and consider borrowing a title that catches your eye!

Learn more about humanities programming in South Dakota by signing up for SDHC e-Updates!