For the past six months, I have taken an hour out of my day every day to read, and it has been wonderful. I’m not saying that this habit has turned me into a genius, but it has made my subway rides feel a little less mindless. You don’t have to be Benjamin Franklin, studying all day, every day, for years on end (I know he did this because I read his autobiography) to sharpen your brain. Some people read because they need to consume as many stories as possible, but some of us need it so that we don’t spend 4 hours a day scrolling through addictive Instagram reels. It’s also nice to be able to talk about what book you’re reading to properly signal to others that you are extremely literate. Reading has so many cognitive and social benefits, it’s no wonder we were required to do it so much in school.