We knew that right? No matter what age you are, it seems that both young, old, and everyone in between are getting more and more addicted to their screens. Computers, televisions, tablets, and phones, if used excessively, can damage your eyes and your overall health AND they are detrimental to the quality of your much needed sleep.
Reading on the other hand is a healthy activity! Reading physical books, or ebooks via an eReader (Kindle, Kobo, etc.) with e-ink technology is good for your physical well being.
Abigail Fagan has listed six scientific reasons you should be picking up more books:
- Reading reduces stress. Reading a book or newspaper for just six minutes lowered people’s stress levels by 68 %—a stronger effect than going for a walk (42 %), drinking a cup of tea or coffee (54 %), or listening to music (61 %).
- Reading can lengthen your life span. A team at Yale University followed more than 3600 adults over the age of 50 for 12 years. They discovered that people who reported reading books for 30 minutes a day lived nearly two years longer than those who don’t. Hey maybe I’ll have time to finish my TBR.
- Reading improves your language skills and general world knowledge. Avid readers, as measured by the Author Recognition Test, had around a 50% larger vocabulary and 50% more fact-based knowledge.
- Reading enhances empathy. Across five experiments, those who read literary fiction performed better on tasks like predicting how characters would act and identifying the emotion encoded in facial expressions. These speak to the ability to understand others’ mental states, which scientists call Theory of Mind.
- Reading boosts creativity and flexibility. “When we read fiction, we practice keeping our minds open because we can afford uncertainty.” Maja Djikic conducted a study in which she determined that fiction readers are more flexible and creative than essay readers—and the effect was strongest for people who read on a regular basis.
- Reading can help you transform as a person. Fiction readers see themselves differently after reading about others’ fictional experience. Nonfiction readers don’t undergo this shift in self-reflection.
Fictionophile 
Great article to read!!!!! Getting kids to read can be quite difficult, especially when young children are fixated in front of the tv. Parents need to spend time reading with their kids, especially books with images, to really open up young children’s minds creatively, thereby expanding their vocabulary and knowledge. A.S #kidsandtechnology #screentime #children https://wiringkidsright.wordpress.com
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Good point! Thanks for your comments.
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This is why I choose books first before the screen! Whenever my family and friends ask me out for a movie outing, I make sure to read the screenplay first (if it’s available online).
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I don’t own a television (and I get really freaked out when I’m in a situation where I watch one – the ADVERTISING! My god, I go home feeling like the fattest, poorest, most miserable girl in the whole world). I do spend a lot of time on other screens though (laptop, tablet, phone), like any true millennial. Blogging about books has been really good for me in that regard; at least once a day, that mild sense of obligation FORCES me to put all the screens down and stick my nose in a book. I’ve also found that walking a lot helps; I’m naturally clumsy, so I can’t be looking at a screen while I’m upright – I’ll trip or step in front of a car or goodness knows what and that’ll be the end 😉
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I’m so pleased that blogging and walking seem to have a positive impact on your life Sheree. Thanks so much for the comment. 😍
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Reblogged this on Living Small in a Big World and commented:
We need to make sure the next generation grow up to be readers, not just screen bandits.
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Great information! I’ve seen these things passed around from time to time, and I try to remind people of this when I can. I know so many people who spend two hours watching TV in the evening, and I try to gently tell them that they could get so many more benefits by just switching even a half hour of that to reading. 😉
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Thanks for spreading the word Sammie. ♥
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I tell people I rarely watch television and they get shocked
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I’m sure that you are healthier for it.
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Great post, I agree with all of the reasons why we should read!
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Thanks so much for weighing in. 😍
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I literally could not survive without books! Definitely the best addiction to have 🙂
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This is true for me also. 😍
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The only time I watch much television is in the middle of a reading slump, when a show is on that my husband and I watch together (Survivor, mostly), or when I’m in the middle of a project (sewing, quilting, needlework, etc.). Otherwise, I’m usually reading. 🙂
It’s interesting that a difference is noted between e-ink readers and normal screens (computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.). In desperate times, I have resorted to using my phone to read, but only rarely because the glare hurts my eyes. Changing the settings on the screen doesn’t seem to help much. It’s just different. But my Kindle e-readers, those I love. I’ve gotten to the point that I won’t read/review a book that isn’t available in Kindle format unless it’s a childrens book.
Great post!
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I agree Myndi. I won’t review a book unless I can read it on my Kindle. The reason is mostly due to the highlight feature which I find invaluable. My Kindle Paperwhite is easy on the eyes and I can read in the dark or bright sunlight without changing any settings.
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Excellent post! I’m proud to say that “My name is Shannon, and I’m a bookaholic.” 😜
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It is wonderful to have an addiction that does NOT require a 12-step program. LOL
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Ha ha ha! Agreed
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Reblogged this on Reads & Reels and commented:
👏👏👏
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Reading all kinds of paper books has helped me change my habits and spend less time in front of screens.
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That is wonderful to hear. 😉
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The healthy addiction.. 😂😍😍
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Truer words were never spoken. ♥️
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I agree with the above sentiments.
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Thanks James. ♥️
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Yay! Always very happy to see statistics like this.😉
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Haha Nicki. Every once in a while I feel the need to give us all a collective pat on the back. 😍
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Physical copies are always better but I’m reading e-copies more after I got my Kindle. Laptop is fine for me as I can adjust the brightness to the lowest but I admit I don’t like to read on mobile screens after I got used to the lower light of laptop and kindle. Great post!
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Thanks. I’m hoping that this post has subtly pointed out that there is a vast difference between a Kindle tablet (with blue light) and a Kindle Paperwhite EREADER (that uses E-ink technology and is much healthier).
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Point 3, yesss! I attribute a lot of my improvements in English to reading. That’s not the only way, but to me it was way more helpful than watching TV. I seem to remember words more if i read them vs hearing them.
I started seriously learning English when i was 23, and i’m fairly positive rereading my favourite books in English was one of the best things I did.
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I’m delighted to hear this Norrie. ♥️
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Physical books are WAY better than kindle or ebook all the way!
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Bibliophiles rejoice! We have an addiction that’s proven to be good for us.
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True enough. As addictions go, we picked a winner. ♥
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