How Reading Books Can Benefit Your Health

As options to read, listen and watch online have skyrocketed, fewer of us are picking up books. While e-books, podcasts and blogs are often entertaining and enlightening, our health may benefit from reading actual books. You remember those from the olden days, right? Those things with paper pages you turn with your hand?

So what’s special about reading a physical book? Here’s what the research says.

The Benefits of Reading Books

Reading books enhances brain function

Book-length reading requires sustained attention, exercising parts of our brains that don’t get asked to do much in a digitally-dominated world of social media posts and video shorts.

Some research has found that heavy internet users – particularly those who use more than one form of media at a time – have more difficulties with memory and cognitive function. One study found that those reporting more media multi-tasking had smaller grey matter density than those reporting less, suggesting that our internet habits have the ability to change the physical structure of our brains.

Scans of readers’ brains after reading physical novels, on the other hand, show increased connectivity between parts of the brain, a measure of healthy cognitive function. Another study found that adults who read books (rather than magazines or newspapers, whether on paper or electronically) had better cognitive function than those who don’t.

The cognitive benefits of book reading may even affect longevity. A study of over 3,600 participants found that “book reading contributed to a survival advantage that was significantly greater than that observed for reading newspapers or magazines.” Participants who read books had a 20% reduction in mortality risk over a twelve-year period when compared to their non-book reading counterparts.

Books lessen distraction and reduce stress

Perhaps most importantly, when we read a paper book rather than read on a device, we dramatically reduce opportunities for distraction. No notifications of new video content or likes on a post, no temptation to check whether someone responded to a message or posted an update.

That connectedness has its upsides, of course, but it comes at a cost.

Every time we’re pinged by a notification, or a video ad pops up unbidden while we’re trying to read an article on a complex topic, our attention gets diverted from the task at hand, overloading our brains and making it harder to focus. Over time, researchers have found, we don’t get better at tuning out digital noise, but worse: “Available evidence strongly indicates that engaging in multi‐tasking via digital media…seems to decrease this cognitive capacity through reducing our ability to ignore incoming distractions.”

Besides making everything take longer, researchers believe chronic media multitasking may affect the way our brains work. They speculate we’re training our brains to have shorter attention spans, so when we need to focus on something for a longer period of time, it’s more difficult.

Perhaps of greater concern is the effect of excessive screen time on our mood and stress levels. Ever spent too much time reading on a screen and experienced technostress? One study found that reading just two sentences on a phone rather than paper caused participants’ brains to experience “heavy cognitive load,” nevermind hours and hours spent reading online. Add in the recurring distraction of notifications, and you have a perfect storm of stressors at your fingertips.

Reading a book, on the other hand, lets you silence all the online clamor competing for your attention – as long as you turn off that phone while you read. Book reading, it turns out, can have similar stress-relieving effects as yoga (plus you can do it cozily tucked up in bed before hitting the hay).

Fiction enhances social understanding

While many of these studies don’t distinguish between fiction and non-fiction books, reading fiction may provide some unique benefits. Researchers maintain that fiction reading helps people develop empathy and understand different perspectives in ways that non-fiction reading can’t.

Cognitive scientists call the interpersonal skills we develop when we read fiction ‘theory of mind,’ the ability to understand others’ thoughts and beliefs. According to researchers, a fiction reading habit increases theory of mind and enhances one’s interpersonal abilities.

Given how important we now know social connection is to health and how divided our culture can feel, improving our understanding of other perspectives can help us navigate socially challenging times.

E-readers vs. paper

What about reading full-length books on devices? A tablet or e-reader gives you access to thousands upon thousands of appealing titles, but there are reasons to consider going with old-school physical books instead.

Tablets and e-readers emit shorter wavelength light, which can have a big impact on the hormones that control our circadian rhythm. Especially if you’re reading before bed, it’s probably best to avoid electronic devices and avoid light exposure that can interfere with sleep. Research has found that reading on tablets or e-readers before sleep reduces melatonin production and lessens sleep duration and quality when compared to reading print books. Additionally, tablets keep you connected to all the internet distractions discussed above, which could increase stress levels just when you want them to drop.

You can support your natural sleep-wake cycle further by using a low-wattage incandescent bulb when you read at night, since the blue wavelengths of light from a bedside LED light bulb can also disrupt your body’s production of melatonin before bed.

Another point for books: researchers believe that the physical experience of holding a book rather than a tablet can help our brains better retain what we read. Numerous studies have found that people perform better reading the same material on paper on measures of both comprehension and efficiency.

What about audio books?

While listening to books lets you access some of these benefits – such as the mental challenge of the longer format, enhancing empathy if you’re listening to fiction – reading physical books may have advantages. Some studies have found improved comprehension when subjects read physical books, especially when learning is the goal. When reading a book, you can stop and consider what you’ve read or go back and re-read a challenging sentence or paragraph. Additionally, you can make notes on pages, or underline and highlight significant parts of the text, allowing fuller engagement with what you read than is possible with an audiobook.

On the other hand, listening to books can be done at times when you can’t read, whether that’s while driving a car, walking, or taking care of household chores. If you struggle to find time for books, audiobooks can help you work books into your routine. You may retain less of what you hear than if you sat down and read a book, but that doesn’t mean the activity isn’t worthwhile.

If you spend a lot of time on screens for work, giving your eyes a break from print of any sort may be beneficial as well, especially if you spend that time outdoors getting exercise and beneficial sunlight exposure.

Not a book reader? Ways to get started

If you don’t already have a reading habit and would like to develop one, here are some strategies to try:

Start with something that appeals to you.

You don’t have to read an 800-page novel written in the nineteenth century to get the benefits of reading books. If you prefer action/adventure or romance, head to that part of the bookstore or library and browse. Seek out novels or nonfiction featuring subjects you’re already interested in. Ask for recommendations from friends, librarians, or bookstore staff.

Many popular movies and TV series are based on novels, and fans enjoy getting to dive deeper into stories they love than a two-hour film permits. Try out books your favorite films are based on and see what you think.

If fiction doesn’t appeal, try a memoir, historical non-fiction, or a book on a field in science that interests you.

Choose shorter books.

If a thick novel seems like too much of a commitment, pick something shorter or consider a collection of short stories.

Set a reading goal.

Many of us feel like our lives are already too full. Knowing you don’t have to devote an entire day – or afternoon, or even a full hour – to reading can make it seem more manageable. Be realistic about what you have time for. Maybe it’s just 15 minutes before bed. Start there and see how it goes. You can always overshoot your goal if you find that amount of time too short.

Consider joining a book club.

Having people to talk to about your reading can add to your enjoyment of books, and the accountability to the group can help keep you from skipping your book time.

Interested in giving your brain some unaccustomed exercise and shutting out the techno-overload? Give a book a try and reap the benefits of an old-fashioned read.