hi mousie.
yes!! lots of reasons, i am sorry you find it intimidating. i can understand that, and especially i think sometimes people are scared to give feedback that feels negative. i will tell you some of my reasons and i hope maybe that makes you feel excited enough to give it a try in the future. if not that's ok, its not for everyone and you shouldn't feel obligated. <3

1) it's a creative process, but it stretches slightly different creative muscles than writing. other people may disagree but i find the process of beta reading, going over something that is already there, really different to writing. i am not good at any creative pursuit outside of writing, despite my efforts, so it feels nice to have another outlet for that.

2) it takes a lot of trust for someone to let you into their docs/to ask you to beta for them. it can be quite a vulnerable feeling. i know from the other side, asking is hard. even from people who i talk with regularly or have beta read for me before. perhaps that is my own inability to ask for help... but to be entrusted with that is special and i think another way to build connection and community.

3) its like getting an out of town preview to a movie. getting let in to read a tasty little treat before other people is very cool. seeing other people's writing/planning processes is so fascinating.

4) i genuinely think it makes you a better writer. again, seeing other people's planning/writing process can be really educational as well as interesting. plus i think beta reading forces me to sit and think more actively about how a story comes together. sometimes when i write my own works i enter a kind of fugue state where i'm not necessarily thinking actively about how the work is coming together. i feel like beta reading for others helps me train my brain to keep more active throughout the writing process.

5) i love helping people/my friends! i know how much beta reading has helped me on individual works and my writing as a whole. if i can provide even a tiny bit of that same help to others thats great.

6) i love really thinking and digesting what i'm reading. seeing the metaphors someone has written in, or the deliberate choices they have made to create a specific characterisation. really digesting what i'm reading isn't always something i'm good at, so i'm happy beta reading gives me an excuse to do that.

7) it often leads to talking to people about their writing, and i love talking to people about their writing. going through and helping them solve problems or just share a mutual interest/passion.

8) this is going to sound dramatic, and like i think highly of myself. please no i don't lol. but, it really hurts me to see people be down on their own work. i have seen so many people give up on creative pursuits that brought them joy because of mean comments/unasked for criticism/a general belief in a lack of worth or value to their works. i know how easy it can be to stare at something for hours/days/weeks/longer and only be able to see the flaws. i love beta reading as an opportunity to come in and remind someone of all the good work they've done, point out the good bits that they maybe can't see at that moment. good beta reading, that is kind and constructive and honest, imo can do a lot to fight the bad voices that sometimes live in our heads.