What does reading on screens do to our brains? | BBC Ideas
We’re reading more than ever before - but much of it is on screens rather than physical books. Is it changing the way our brains work? Reading books has so many physical, emotional and economic benefits - here's why how we read might be more important than what or how much we read.
Video by Daniel Nils Roberts.
Made in partnership with the Open University.
If you liked this video then why not watch this one about the power of stories to shape our minds 👉 • How stories shape our ...
Subscribe to BBC Ideas 👉 bbc.in/2F6ipav
____________________________
Do you have a curious mind? You’re in the right place.
Our aim on BBC Ideas is to feed your curiosity, to open your mind to new perspectives, and to leave you that little bit smarter.
So dive in. Let us know what you think. And make sure to subscribe! 👉bbc.in/2F6ipav
Visit our website to see all of our videos: www.bbc.com/ideas
And follow BBC Ideas on Twitter: / bbcideas
#bbcideas #reading #screentime
📚📖Thanks for watching. We hope you liked this video! You might also enjoy this one about the power of stories to shape our minds 👉 kzhead.info/sun/qd2TfbeSfmR6oKM/bejne.html
Totally agree
Do you have a curious mind? You’re in the right place." You bet I do. Colleagues, is there any chance you could share a basis/research/article - wherever we can find raw data for statements such as "reading is better with books" ?
What is that reading for therapy book?
@@Angry-PMwas wondering the exact same thing. Where is a more in-depth description of this research? How was this research conducted? Gathering a team of researchers and saying reading paper books is better is not a convincing argument.
Nothing can replace the beauty of holding a beautiful book and lying down under a tree reading for hours. It's absolutely magical.
True that, homes.
Nah can't relate, dirt and mosquitoes 😔
@@vitob. Wrong.
I'd like to understand it. If I read the same book on a screen, would I react differently to it or comprehend it less? I don't see why - all other factors staying the same.
@@bobbybannerjee5156 I see eye to eye with you, because the majority of books I read are online due to the lack of time and money I have when buying them, anyway I don't know how reading online and affect our form of thinking or developing
I've read 15 books this year. All on the kindle app. I haven't read this much since my teenage years, if not ever. Kindle makes it cheaper to buy books and easier to keep a library always available. It's also easy to mark and to note, so... it's a great evolution in my opinion.
Truly. Sometimes I just want to read something else and I have the luxury to carry all of these books with me at once. Books are awesome. Ebooks are a little bit convenient.
A Kindle to me is more akin to a book than a "screen" because of the electronic paper technology it uses.
Agree. You can read digital very well too included complicated reading. We need to train our brain to read in digital,,,,probably 7,000 years ago the ancestors of the woman in yellow said " you cannot read complex text in paper you need to read it in stone" xd ... On the other hand probably my ancestors of 7,000 years ago said to the ancestors of the woman in yellow "you can read as well in stone and in paper the only thing is that paper is more lighter and manageable". I think you can read as well in digital or in paper, in order to read digital you need to adapt to change, adapt your brain, and also you can have with you one trillion books available with you at any time.
Agree!
I also love having kindle! An entire library right there in my pocket!
It would have been great to discuss some ideas on the differences of reading a book on paper vs ebook - not all of us uses screens to read headlines only. When I started trying to get used to ebooks, I would buy both the paper and ebook versions. And I still do and use them interchangeably depending on if I am at home or commuting for example. If one thing I would say: if you wish to try with ebooks, you may want to consider investing in a device other than your phone - so you can avoid notifications and other distractions.
You can avoid notifications by putting your phone on flight mode to read. Not that I do. I have read on Sony and kobo e readers for a decade.
With my job, I speak to a lot of young people. When they say that reading is their favorite thing to do, I ask if they prefer real books or ebooks. I have never heard one of them say Ebooks!!!! There’s hope!
Look at what professor Andrew Huberman says about reading on screen vs paper. He is a professor of neuroscience and oftalmology at Stanford University. Interesting.
@@kencarpenter2785I have found that, also, when talking with young people in my church. It is very impressive to see that paper books are still very common. Sadly, while I could read with my nose to the page due to choroid coloboma for most of my life, now in my 50s I need to use a screen. I do miss physical books versus ebooks on my tablet. ( I can still read regular size print in a book if the light is bright enough, but that tends to have to be sunligh now. I love to do that when I can.)
@@kencarpenter2785 I am a young person, and I prefer paper physical books too. But end up reading most of my books on digital. 🥲 More than half, like 80%. I always end up finishing my e-books faster than my paper books. It’s just more convenient because you can carry your device (and your entire library in it) everywhere you go. I can read when I’m having lunch, on my long commute, on random odd times alone. I have an iPad, but even reading on small screens doesn’t bother me. Still, my love for paper books remain. When I read a good book that becomes my favorite, I buy a hard-bound version of it. Because I do it out of love, I would even get special editions of it if that’s available.
As the cost of living goes up, I appreciate ebooks more and more because they're in my cloud and not taking up physical square footage and moving truck space 🤷🏽♀️ I do hope one day to have a spacious home of my own someday and have a private library of hardbacks, but I enjoy books same as always on my mobile and tablet
There are also a lot of classics that are free to download while the physical copy costs a fortune 😅.
@@mohamedalitoufahi6295 And they don't degrade, and you don't need to take care of them. My grandparents have a library full of books but like 90% of them are in terrible condition. If they were digital books there wouldn't be any loss.
@@thegoldentree6913 Hard copies should be preserved until they are a hundred years old. They can then fetch you a good price as antique books. At least I can find no other reason to keep lots of such old books at home.
I love my kindle. My apartment is too small to store books these days. Also, as I live in Vietnam, it makes a whole lot of difference when you can one-click buy an ebook so that you can read on its release date, without any shipping cost. The magic of information age!
Due to vision issues, I am no longer able to read small print- and that’s the beauty of an e-reader because I can adjust the font to my needs. I use kobo and it’s a perfect device for loosing myself in a good book.
I get that! while I love, love my paper books, the ability to enlarge text at will is a true benefit of a screen, both as we age and for those with visual processing challenges. I have actually found myself, on occasion, trying to enlarge my book's text as if it were an ipad. LOL.
Same! I have vision issues too. Because of the small font, 10 minutes of reading and my eyes stung so I couldn’t enjoy reading anymore and stopped reading altogether. Since I bought the kindle I started reading again and now I can read for longer session without tiring my eyes. Now I usually just buy ebooks and in addition to that the physical version only of the books I really love.
I don't feel any difference in the way I remember what I've read on paper and what I've read on screen. For me, reading is reading, and digital reading is just so convenient...
I cannot desagree with you. When I want to read some classical books which are, as video says, "cognitively and emotionally challenging", I know that I need to read deeply, reflecting about the events of the book, the desicions characters make. Of course, speaking about some social networks, there we use reading at the surface level. But it's obviously not about the situation when I choose digital medium just not to buy paper book
Exactly, actual book are too space consuming and some of their letter are awfully tiny for my taste, i found no problem with digital version.. and There's a really famous ceo i don't want to name probably you've been tired of hearing already.. and he said after owning an iphone the ebook feature amaze him and he still read books through phone when there's no access to it during business trip.
@@MaseraSteveWhich ceo? Musk?
@@kof3017 Yep, you've guessed it right!
When she mentioned Deep Reading, it struck a cord within me and I started tearing up a bit because I knew what she meant. Reading and writing fascinated me ever since I first started writing and it left (and still does leave) me in utter fixation.
Answer starts at 3:45
Thank you
I grew up with reading physical books, and it's still mostly what I'm reading. However, I have to say, I also have no problem whatsoever reading literature (and I mean "literature", complex, demanding prose) on my phone. Especially in other languages, it's just so handy to have a dictionary just behind a "long press". I've read James Joyce in the original English that way (I'm a German native speaker). So, it's never the medium, it's always the content and what you do with it.
I agree with you. I grew up with paper books, and never thought i'd prefer the e books. But i do, for 1 main reason: when you want books that are not in the language of the country you live in, it's much much easier to find them! So after struggling to find books in english in the french countryside, i resorted to ebooks. Plus, they're cheaper than the paper ones, they're always with you, it's easy to find the sequels... And i also discovered that most of the old classic are scanned in their old versions, and free to read! Perfect to help students prepare for litterature exams.
Ohh I can't explain how much I love reading. Although I love reading books a lot, I have trained my brain in a certain way that I don't get tired of reading from the computer or mobile screen. It depends on the content what are you choosing to read and how much time you are spending looking at that screen. Happy reading great people! ❤❤❤
How did you train yourself to not tire reading from a screen?
@@Omar1066 Well, it took time. Initially, I started reading online short articles related to my favorite topics. When I got used to it then I went for some random lengthy articles from The Economist, Guardian, etc, but I had to take breaks in between reading so that I didn't get bored. I practiced in this way every day and it worked. Now, I am quite comfortable reading books online! But still, I have to take breaks otherwise it hurts my eyes.
@@samirasanjikhan9611 Thank you for explaining.
reading from the computer or mobile screen will damage your eyes health.
@@samirasanjikhan9611wait till you have those big glasses lady. Screen is absolutely damaging.
I really don't feel any difference in reading in paper and phone. Once I'm in flow, I really don't remember (or care) about where I'm reading it.
On my own, I notice, when I read on paper, it has a more impact for me, in a positive way. I can work better with paper. It is a very interesting thing.
I couldn't live without books, but I read on all formats. Ebooks, hardcovers, and paperbacks, I do them all to include audio books. I couldn't imagine not reading and that's why I have a book with me where ever I go. Good video. R.
I wear a jacket, modified to have large pocket inside to accommodate book, note book, a pencil eraser and sharpener.
We are a family of avid readers. We have books, both fact and fiction, in nearly every room. And they have all been read, sometimes multiple times. I do agree that there is nothing more satisfying than reading a physical book. It's tactile, and you dont get the same feeling with an ebook. But I'm not sure I agree that ebooks change the way I read. I read every word and if I dont comprehend, I will go back over the sentence, paragraph, page, or even chapter again regardless of the reading medium im using. I can also use the built in dictionary to check unfamiliar words. I also disagree with the broad statement that books are calming. A good thriller can have me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my mouth as my imagination pictures the scene as it unfolds. Even non-fiction texts can induce emotions like excitement, sadness, incredulity, inspiration, frustration, etc.
I’m a bibliophile ,I’m into collecting and buying books . I perceive information better when I read a paper book . I also enjoy savouring every and each page while I read ❤I’ve been always wanting to be an avid reader , so I’m learning to stick to a wonderful habit . ( thanks to my teacher after her inspirational lesson ) For one month I’ve finished two books (paper ones) and pampered myself I bought more 3 books 🎉🎉😇😇😇 books are my indulgence
Reading in general is an adventure or an escape. It enriches the brain and makes you want to read more. Truly a treat that most people love.
I have an amazingly large and eclectic library of books on my shelves. To say that I am a "book person" would be a massive understatement. There is something so special that happens when reading a paper book, and more so if it it is quite old and pre-owned. You reflect on how life was when someone from decades long gone picked up the same item you now hold in your hands. I tend to not read e-books if possible, but I really enjoy downloaded unabridged audio books. Such a lovely experience when you put a great author together with a great narrator. Having stories read to you as back in childhood days...not to mention eliminating eye strain😀
Through away the dust jacket and get the pen and highline out...except for first editions!
english is my second language. Honestly, i listen, speak a lot but i dont read book in engish, i read it on ly in my native language. but after watching this video i made a decision to read in english and i hope i'll read. thank you for this information
I thought it was just me when it comes to ready through computers, phones and iPads and feeling like I can’t read more in depth on screens and when I read paperwork and books gives me more sense of ease and joy and not a chore for my brain to handle.
What a great video! Reading by holding a physical book is a whole experience since feeling the texture of the pages, the smell of old or new books, seeing the different fonts, and slowly reading the stories to get immersed its just magical and soothing to my mind. I have yet to consider myself an avid reader, but this year, I had the opportunity to accomplish my goal of reading at least 24 books, and it was a great year of reading large and short stories.
I get really dizzy reading in kindle or phone so even if I have shitton of ebooks, I still buy the book eventhough it costs so much money.
Naw ye dont
Are your eyes ok? Seriously you should check them maybe that’s why you get dizzy
By the way, since I read almost all non-fiction I think I can judge for myself about whether reading digitally has been a poorer experience and I'd say that's not the case at all. If anything, I read and understand a LOT more since I moved to reading digitally. I suspect there were some people with vested interests sponsoring the study they are talking about because it doesn't make sense to my experience in the least and I've had a lifetime of reading via both mediums to judge by...
As some other people here in the comments, i'm one of the people who has come to terms with reading through digital media. People are usually afraid and what i see is a lot of conservatism in terms of the material book, people even develop an emotional attachment to the material part of it. But what i have to say is that i'm finding no difference between the physical copy and the digital one in terms of understanding and comprehension. Sure, when your library of books read on digital media gets big you might have a hard time finding where or which platform or device you saved it. Nevertheless. physical large libraries have a similar problem if not organized. I like the idea of the digital format because i'm saving physical natural resource which are critical in these times! Try ebooks yourself, but i don't see any difference in the experience being it a screen. Just be careful with the intensity of light coming to your eyes and control any distractions these media might add!
I read almost all non-fiction so I think I can judge for myself about whether reading digitally has been a poorer experience and I'd say that's not the case at all. If anything, I read and understand a LOT more since I moved to reading digitally. I suspect there were some people with vested interests sponsoring the study they are talking about because it doesn't make sense to my experience in the least.
Crazy, I've just purchased a high end/volume printer to print all the interesting articles I find online that I can't really get into without my eyes starting to hurt, which leads to skimming. Gotta tell you, its been so liberating!
Have you tried reading on a Kindle or any paper like e-reader?
@@ethonica I use Kindle for entertaining reads like biographies. But I do a lot of finance/stock investmet work so I'm constantly marking up articles to reference later and its just easier to have them in paper format. I know I'm a dinosaur by today's standards but it works for me ! haha
that sounds like a wonderful idea.
I 100% prefer reading on my iPad! When I have a physical copy I only enjoy it if I read under natural light and thats not ideal but when I read an e-book I can customize the brightness and font to my liking. Honestly, I can’t read through my phone neither, I find it uncomfortable so it depends on what works for you! I dont see a difference when it comes to what they said honestly
Great stuff. All the guests spoke well. They made me appreciate the gift of reading more. Kudos on this one!
It's true. Words feel much more slippery when I'm reading on a screen than on paper, likely because the surface of the screen itself is quite literally slippery.
I experience the exact opposite. Probably because you didn't get used to reading on a screen.
I’ve never been able to really read more than a few minutes on a screen. Just something about it I can’t put my finger on - but with a good book not only does it feel better to hold and turn the pages, but I can easily read for much longer. We don’t need more screen time!
Honestly, it’s easier for me to read on my phone because I’ve realized that it’s easier for me to read white text on a black background. I can also adjust the font size so that it’s not so small that I have to strain my eyes. I can’t do these with a normal paperback book. And with so many classics in the public domain, I can easily access them from Apple’s library, and store all of them on my phone without paying anything. My phone has made reading so much more fun and easier for me to read than when I was a kid trying to read a paperback novel.
Each person that reads has to create circuit in their own brains … creativity intelligence empathy
I love physical books. But I do read on my tablet and kindle paperwhite. Kindle gives you a far better digital reading experience than a tablet. Would reading on Kindle affect my brain in the same way reading on tablet would?
a kindle is just a weaker tablet, no? how do you get a better reading experience in comparison to a proper tablet with the kindle app?
I was wondering about kindle too
I will certainly pray for you Sir. We need people like you who are angels
Where do E-readers fall in this story? i mean, since I bought my kindle a couple of years ago i've been reading more and more but does it count as "screen reading"or as "paper reading"?
Reading changed the direction of my life, the influences I had as a child were not great but books gave me choices my siblings unfortunately never knew they could make and its shows in their decision making. My kids pooh pooh books even though I explain that books open the world up to a person and offer’s perspectives they wouldn’t normally find through other media.
Hello! The reading habit is something beatiful and incredible thing! As lenguage learner i know that reading is essencial to improve my english. Although the digital reading is not the same, so you can't write down the book or feel the paper. Also something positive its the most cheapier and accesible way of people can affort nowadays. Read can open your mind and give you knowleged to have another perspective of things. If we have the problem of reading (like me) we should starting with little things, like articles, some pages of a book etc. I realize that reading in digital way sometimes could be stressed and tired, but with dedication everything is possible!
I love reading so much thank you for the ethereal video🎥
Reading books, especially romantic books, make me relaxed and feel better after a hard working day. I like to read books on paper and smell the fragnance of paper books. But reading digital books are much more convenient and easier. I can take digital books anywhere and anytime.
Same and people don't know what your reading. Lol
I can access the library for free online at two o’clock in the morning and get a book to read. Heaven!
So the bottom line is that if we read books on screen we are unable to comprehend the content as much as we do when reading on physical books.
What about reading on an ereader like a kindle? It has a very similar look to reading on paper.
Exactly. I have read on ereaders for a decade now.
Wholeheartedly agree with this. For most of the supporters of digital books, I want to re-emphasize the point on reading *challenging* books. I've been trying to self teach myself mathematics. The ability to move back and forth repeatedly between pages to soak in a difficult concept is extremely evident over something basic, like reading fiction on a Kindle.
Where did you start with your mathematics journey? I am preparing to do the same thing. Good luck also.
Thank you so much.
Great, this is the topic of my thesis😍
Most of the time I read Physical books but sometimes I want to read an E-Book and other times I listen to the Audiobook. I also read In 6 different languages. As you can probably see, English is my third language. It is not perfect but I can still communicate in English. :)
I'd also have liked a deeper discussion on e-readers. I'm not a fast reader, I read about 15-20 books a year, I just finished an ebook with over 1400 pages, I read faster probably because more comfortable on Kindle than paper. So what does that say about reading and comprehension abilities? How are reading habits helped with easily accessible books? What's the difference for children (I believe they should start with paper...)? Do the haptics make a difference? So many questions.
I read every day. I usually read digital books because it is hard for me to hold a book and turn pages. I also have a problem reading the small print found in many books and magazines. It is a shame because I used to read one or two physical books a day. Now I have to limit my reading as the light, from my 55-inch monitor is intense and starts hurting my eyes after awhile.
Reading on a Kindle is convenient. Easier to carry a large book when it's on a device, easier to hold. Back lit & I can change the screen warmth. However, if someone even asked me the title of my book or about the sentences I had just read, my brain would stall. There is also this little gem: Buying a digital book is basically renting it. You don't actually own it and it could be pulled from your device. Might as well purchase the actual physical novel! Side note: Annotating physical books is a total blast.
I prefer to read eBooks from my phone based on practicality, customizations, the easiness to organize, take notes then export them, etc.. and the fact that I've donated 99% of physical books that I had 😅
Thank you BBC!❤
Wow! It's just real ando amazing! Reading it's My hobby since I was little girl, thanks for sharing !
What a simplistic take. This argument conflates screens with phones, and complex, layered works of literature with the paper medium on which the authors and participants of this video probably encountered those works. There is absolutely nothing about a dedicated e-reader which promotes skimming or shallowness. One can read _Les Misérables_ or _War and Peace_ just as well on a Kindle as with a physical book. What the video wants to get at but fails is this sense of a distracted world, of a people subsumed by a digital age and a soundbite culture. Tennyson reads as richly on a screen as he does on paper.
Print books are ideal (who doesn't like the look and feel of an actual book), but I think ebooks are more economical in terms of space and possibly resources. Plus, there are studies that indicate that screens meant to specifically emulate a book (eg, an ebook reader on a tablet) are more like print books in terms of reader engagement and comprehension.
I am a voracious reader and I do prefer Kindle books over paper except if there is a specific reason why I prefer the book on paper. I actually have found soooooooooooo many benefits from reading digital books over paper ones that I will never prefer paper ones again. I do still own some paper books but I only get them if no digital version is available for the most part.
Exactly! Same here 👍🏼
I feel that reading online is faster especially with an app like Kindle, when you don't know a word you're one click away from finding a definition. Plus, we watch videos on screen including this video so we're always on screen anyways.
I read almost all in digital, it’s so convenient and save me a lot of work when I highlight because I can have a summary of all the book in digital at the end and when I don’t understand a word I just tap it and have all kinds of explanations about that word. This is no more than an emotional attachment. In all instances digital books are better.
Bibliotherapy. That seems really interesting. I really didn't know about it 😍
well, that seems like these people just don't want to carry out any useful job
@@angot3059 we cant all be professional video game youtube uploaders
This speaks to why I can learn from stuff written on a chalkboard or whiteboard, or even overhead projector on a screen, but not a PowerPoint delivered in TEAMS OR Zoom.
Excelente!
I have been an avid reader since I was 12 -I am now in my 60s- but I dispute what is said about digital reading. Bear in mind that I loathe my smart phone and only use it as a phone, so I do not read anything there. But then, I got my very first ebook reader in 2009 and I I have travelled all over the universe through books. Since I prefer longer, bigger books it gives me joy to have all 3 volumes of , say, A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth without having to lug them around in physical form.
Many rare or expensive books can be readily found as pdfs, and this is the one benefit of ebooks.
I love reading and this yes I didn't do much. I pray I will do better next year
I'm ok with ebooks. They can be quite convenient. But for me, physical books are the best. Nothing beats touching physical book in your hands and turning the pages with your fingers.
My life would be so much smaller without books.
This video homogenizes and commoditizes a fundamental attribute of the act of “reading.” Reading is a skill and as with any skill, it must be acquired, practiced, challenged, and rebuilt continuously. The delivery medium isn’t a key driver of comprehension and creativity. “How to Read a Book,” by Mortimer Adler, addresses reading as a skill and helps the reader build it.
News Flash : ‘Good writing’ is damn well worth recognizing, promoting, and reading.
My pleasure.
Wonderful
As someone with aphantasia, I'm not sure I can reap all the benefits of reading as much as everyone else. For me, novels are boring because I can't imagine the things described in my head, or feel great empathy for the protagonists because I can't well imagine their situation, let alone myself in their situation. But I like reading non-fiction books, the moment I found out that there were books other than novels, I was fascinated by reading for the first time in my life. Before that, reading just felt like a chore for me. When it comes to fictional stories, I prefer manga because they contain images and are therefore more appealing to me. When asked how I prefer to read, I tend to lean towards readers like those from Kindle, these make a big difference over cell phones or tablets and are the best thing besides books themselves.
I can't Imagine how its like to live with aphantasia... Wait.
I experience aphantasia, but despite not being able to visualize characters, I still enjoy fiction. Instead, I remember and connect with the story. Occasionally, I can engage my imagination through tactile sensations, such as during meditation or intense song lyrics, giving me a sense of goosebumps. This imaginative experience often occurs when feeling myself merging with the surroundings, embracing non-duality. In essence, I can imagine without relying on visual imagery.
I'd be interested in knowing how large-format e-ink books compare with paper. The experience, for me, is a lot better than reading on a cell.
There is a challenge that I face when finding good academic books. So I choose to download PDFs and do most of the work. But I don't like staring at the screen for a long time. Now I know a reason to get back to reading physical books.
I read mostly printed books. I’ve looked online at digital books but don’t see that they are less costly. I go the the local Goodwill (thrift) store and am able to purchase paperbacks for $1.00 and hardbacks for $2.00. If it isn’t a book I want to read again I donate it back. I can see where digital books allow you to enlarge the font would be a positive thing. Great video.
Excellent video 🙌🏾
Interesting, thanks.
That's amazing.
Okay, this is the sign, i need to go back to my books and start reading again
That's just what I need.
I am all about physical books. Less eye strain than a screen and I find it easier to know where I am in a book through the analog stacking of pages. And when I’m done, I can keep the book or give it to a friend, or sell it to a used book shop. When you buy a digital book, you have nothing: it can be altered or removed from your device. You are just “renting” - so no thanks!
useful, thanks
Books are awesome. Thanks to the people who write them.
That's great.
Reading on book teaches patience.
Tell this to those who invented computer based testing methods.
Paper books are awesome. It's a great feeling❤
I literally love to pick up a dictionary and learn from it reading is truly amazing Sad now as days social media has taken over pretty soon the addicts won’t be able to read nor write their own names 🙄🙄
well , I'm reading this on social media and one of the benefits is interacting with Ideas I would've otherwise never had the opportunity . It encourages me to Write , to respond and engage with that idea . something one doesn't do with a book . Imagine if you could do that with a painting or a song . I'm not sure how that would work .
My favorite thing to do is read my ebook on Play Books on my phone in the dark. My phone has an OLED screen, so when my app is in dark mode, the only pixels lit up are the letters. It's really immersive to be in the dark with just letters floating in front of your eyes, no distractions, just the words :)
The quickie snappy phrase writing in this video is, hilariously, the sort of "smart phone" writing that the video decries. Also, by the way, I have the inpression that the neuroscience types are seeing less plasticity (in the sense of rewiring) in the human brain than they previously assumed to be happening, so the science in this video may turn out to be quite wrong. (Neuroscience is really really hard, and we're only beginning to figure it out. Please: don't turn it into sound bites.) As someone who doesn't own a cell phone, I can't comment on cell phone reading, but I am a Kindle fan. But reading on the Kindle requires a much higher level of awareness of what you are doing than book reading does. Book reading makes you lazy because it's so easy to remember roughly where you read something and to flip back to it. On the Kindle, if you didn't make a mental note of things that are going to turn out to be important later, you are dead in the water. The Kindle requires a more active, and more proactive, sort of reading. Perhaps the opposite of the cell phone, and perhaps even better for the mind than paper books. The science that isn't going to change, though, is the importance of reading to your kids. The more you read to your kids, the better their lives will be. That's part of the reason I only give money to schools and colleges that have a high percentage of students who are from families in which they are the first to be heading to college. These are kids who probably didn't get read to all that much, and in general didn't have the advantages we kids of Radcliffe English majors and electrical engineers and the like had growing up.
I have watched enough video essays on youtube that whenever I hear a short violin riff kick in I know they are about to introduce a scientist or scholar haha.
I think I learn better when I read from paper. One thing I notice is when I have the physical book with pages in my hand, I know physically where certain quotes are on the pages. It’s like a spatial memory.
I never understood the concept of e-book. even cheaper, never read one, never bought one.... I just can't. I love blogs, but I have issues reading very long articles on a screen. so these makes absolute sens to me.
I like to read books. But now the time and space availability is decreasing. So adapting to reading soft copies would be better... It is harder but it can be utilized in a positive way also.
Is reading using e-book reader reading on screen? Does screen inferiority affect reading when using ebook reader?
Love that the Bible says that humankind is a little above 6.000 years old and that we have been reading for that time.
Interesting but I am not giving up reading books in my smartphone or tablet where I can highlight and take notes about anything that I'm reading about. I don't skim anything when I am reading a book from an ebook app like kindle. I feel equally engaged. The fact that these ebook apps make it more interactive to read, like turning pages like if it was from a real book, for example, is what makes them great to read. If these apps wouldn't have that feature and instead you would have to scroll through the whole book, then that would make it very heavy for my brain to grasp the contents and I would resort back to real books, but since it's not, reading from digital devices is just as equal and engaging as reading from real books
I read physical books and ebooks in my Kindle. I enjoyed both equally. And the Kindle has many advantages over the physical book. The special feeling of touching the book and all that, it's just stupid, the content it's what matters not the presentation.
I dont have reading experience, but i love to reading books. tell me such ideas how to be interested in reading books.
Perhaps the only difference for me is the habit of walking along the aisles of the book market and choosing books here and there, leafing through them and giving free rein to my imagination by reading excerpts of text. It was at this moment that I already mentally bought this book and imagine myself with it on the couch. I confess that I did not understand the proposed idea about the difference between paper and electronic books. I see the same way to convey a message - black letters on a white background, either on paper or on a screen. Yes, the pages on the screen are endless, and on paper they are of a certain size, but I cannot regard this as the reason for the difference in the perception of content by the brain.
Reading via Mobile is understandably bad. Because whenever I read via mobile (same kindle app), any notification that comes on top, I open it and get lost in that a little bit. Whatsapp, telegram, news, etc., So the concentration that was put into that reading a book is easily lost. But when I put my phone down, and take the Kindle device and start reading, I pretty much finish a chapter or two at minimum in a single sitting. Also Kindle device is making me to carry a single device with so many options of books for different kinds of mood. My best travel companion.
I guess I already have too much screen time, I think online books are a great resource. But reading a book in person is wonderful. And it doesn't make my eyes kind of hurt. I should start reading again, I haven't been reading at all for ages...! And I've been depressed for quite a while so maybe reading like I did as a child might help me feel better... I miss reading with my class as a child, a lot...