If you are an avid reader, you know that there is a great debate on which is better – a print book versus an electronic reader (e-reader). The debate usually is:
“about the sentimental versus the practical, between people who prefer how paper pages feel in their hands and people who argue for the practicality of e-readers.“
For many of us, we enjoy both books in print and an e-reader, and thus can understand both sides of the debate. On the one hand, we love books in print – from the smell of new and old books to the sound of hearing a new hardback book opening for the first time. On the other hand, we love the convenience of our Kindle and its ability to store hundreds of books.
Though we love the convenience of our e-readers, it cannot replace the joy we get from hearing a book open. As a result, many of us switch from one format to another.
Fortunately for those who still read print books, scientists have determined that reading print books is better than exclusively divulging in e-readers.
In various studies, scientist found that books in print can help us with comprehension, recall where information is located, and simply helps us fuel our brain.
Print Books Help Us Remember What We Read
In a 2014 study conducted by Anne Mangen of Norway’s Stavanger University, it was discovered that e-readers find it more difficult to remember simple facts, such as the chronology of events, about short stories that they just read. The study revealed that an e-reader:
“does not provide the same support for mental reconstruction of a story as a print pocket book does.“
Mangen believes this is from a lack of immersion and “the haptic and tactile feedback” that an e-reader provides. Reading from left to right, along with the ability to turn pages and feel the paper within our fingers, all helps aid in recall. According to Mangen, this:
“might have something to do with the fact that the fixity of a text on paper, and this very gradual unfolding of paper as you progress through a story is some kind of sensory offload, supporting the visual sense of progress when you’re reading.“
Though an e-reader attempts to recreate this, it is not the same as the sensory experience of feeling paper at our fingertips. As a result, we lose our ability to remember what we read.
Print Books Help Us With Valuable Skills Of Comprehension And Recall
In another study, conducted by Maryann Wolf of Tufts University in 2006, it was discovered that when we read on our Kindle, i-Pad, or Nook, that we have a tendency to skim rather than read in a linear pattern. As a result, we decrease our ability to comprehend and to remember where information is located. Though these seem like relatively easy skills, the study revealed that those who read from a screen may ultimately find it difficult to perform these tasks when we sit down with a print book.
This may be from the way some of us read from a screen, by:
“touching, pushing, linking, scrolling and jumping through text that when we sit down with a novel, your daily habits of jumping, clicking, linking is just ingrained in you.”
Wolf fears that:
“the superficial way we read during the day is affecting us when we have to read with more in-depth processing.”
Print Books May Be Better, But No Need To Abandon Your E-Reader
Though there are fears that our reading from screens is harming us, and that print books benefit us, I don’t see any reason for us to completely abandon our e-readers. Rather, in order for us to keep these very important skills and to help keep fueling our brain, we should opt for a book in print from time to time.
Whether reading in print or on a Kindle, some have suggested that simply reading slower and more regular will improve our concentration, comprehension, empathy, and even our sleep.
In short, we all should take time to read rather than rush through it. Immerse yourself in your book and enjoy your experience.
Featured image by jamjar under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
