When you’re winding down for the night, reading from a screen or scrolling through a social media app on your phone are bad ideas. But if your goal is to fully grasp and comprehend the text in front of you, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. And with a print book, there’s no chance of getting distracted by links or getting sucked down an internet rabbit hole of looking up the collective term for a group of ferrets (they’re called a “business,” by the way).Īccording to one survey, 67 percent of university students were able to multitask while reading digitally, compared to 41 percent of print readers. Digital readers tend to spend more time scanning for keywords than actually processing what they’re reading.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, people who read e-books tend to get sidetracked more easily, but not just because the internet is right at their fingertips. With print books, you don’t have to worry about any of that. Electronic books can cause screen fatigue, which may lead to blurred vision, redness, dryness, and irritation. One survey of 429 university students revealed that nearly half had complained of strained eyes after reading digitally. They're easier on the eyes.Ĭonsidering that many jobs require you to stare at a computer screen all day, it’s wise to give your eyes a break whenever you can. In another study, students who had read a short story on a e-reader were less engaged and had a harder time remembering the exact order of events. Researchers theorize this arises because children get distracted by the electronic device and have a harder time focusing on the story itself. They help children become better readers, too.Īnother study of young children between the ages of three and five revealed that kids had lower comprehension of the story when their parents read to them from an e-book as opposed to a print book. Plus, with a print book, it’s easier to go back and confirm information you may be unsure of without losing your place and having to scroll or click back on your mobile device or tablet. In other words, seeing and feeling how much progress you’ve made in the story, by virtue of the waxing and waning pages on either side of the book, can help readers feel like they’re unfolding the story-both literally and figuratively. Scientists believe this effect is related to the tactile sensation of holding a book in your hands. In an earlier study, print readers also scored higher in other areas, such as empathy, immersion in the book, and understanding of the narrative. Readers of print books absorb and remember more of the plot than readers of e-books do, according to a study that was presented in Italy in 2014. Here are just a few of the reasons why: 1. In recent years, print books have seen a resurgence, and for good reason-they can be better for your brain and health, according to science.

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