Reading for Pleasure Boosts Brain and Mental Health
WASHINGTON — In today’s world, we spend most of our reading time on phones, computers, for work or school. Remember how it felt as a child to read books about other worlds, adventures and characters? That spark in your brain and enjoyment helped shape your cognitive skills, vocabulary and ability to empathize.
Reading for pleasure as an adult is equally beneficial and becomes more important as we age. Here, we’ll explain the science behind how reading boosts brain and mental health at all stages of life.
Reading for Pleasure
In a productivity-driven society with busy lives and long working hours, reading for pleasure may not seem worth your time.
You may remember the term “reading for pleasure” from your school days as a term to separate books you chose to read independently from assigned books in class. Other definitions include “recreational or leisure reading,” “reading for enjoyment,” or reading because of “anticipating the satisfaction” gained afterward.
Reading for pleasure is well-known to boost cognitive and mental health; let’s explore how.
What Happens In Your Brain When You Read?
Two processes occur in your brain while you read.
Deep Reading
First is the idea of “deep reading,” which differs from “superficial reading” that you might do when scrolling on your phone. Deep reading is a “slow, immersive process of thoughtful and deliberate reading” that engages your brain and cognitive skills. As you comprehend and enjoy what you’re reading, your brain is also:
- Drawing connections within the story.
- Applying the material to the world.
- Pondering questions.
- Increasing reasoning, deductive and analytical skills.
- Reflecting and getting insights into your own life.
Flow State
When you read, you may also enter a flow state. Flow refers to a state of high performance when you become so absorbed in your activity that you lose track of time. It occurs when the challenge of the activity aligns with an individual’s skill level. Examples include playing music, creating art, playing a sport, or performing a work-related task.
Spending time in a flow state positively affects your brain chemistry. It can increase creativity, happiness and your sense of self.
Some research posits that reading fiction can also trigger a flow state since the act of reading (and the content of what you’re reading) alters your consciousness. In addition to comprehending what you’re reading, you create a model of the story in your mind and the two actions together can create flow.
Reading also engages some of the nine principles of flow theory: attentional focus, intrinsic enjoyment and a distorted sense of time. Research finds that the reading flow state also heightens self-efficacy.
Benefits of Reading for Pleasure
Research has shown several cognitive and mental health benefits of reading, especially for children and older adults.
- Children: Learning to read (and being read to) is a critical developmental step for children.
- A 2020 report analyzed data on children in the United Kingdom to find how reading for pleasure at age 11 impacted their health at age 14. Researchers found the following associations. At age 14, those who read at age 11 consumed a healthier diet and were less likely to use cigarettes and alcohol than those who didn’t. However, they were also less likely to engage in physical activity.
- Older Adults: A 2020 systematic review found that reading for pleasure boosts cognitive health and emotional well-being in older adults. One potential reason is that stimulating their brains by reading books strengthens their neural structures and brain functions and creates new cognitive networks. Reading may also help prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
- Longevity: A 2016 study hypothesized that combining cognitive engagement in deep reading and enhancing social understanding could increase your chance of survival and lengthen your life. The study followed 3635 people for 12 years and found that those who read books at least 30 minutes a day lived about two years longer than non-readers.
- Cognitive Health: Reading offers several cognitive benefits.
- Mental Health: A survey of 4,000 recreational readers in the United Kingdom reported lower levels of stress and depression than non-readers. They also had higher self-esteem and coping skills for difficult situations. Reading also provides a healthy distraction and increases relaxation. The survey found reading to be even more relaxing than watching TV.
- Being Present: Reading forces you to be present as you focus on reading and comprehending your book. Practicing mindfulness and staying in the moment can improve mental health.
- Research also lists “presence” as an aspect of how reading creates pleasure, but it’s different from mindfulness. While you are physically present in your moment, you also become present in the world of the story that your cognitive skills help interpret and create. You also undergo feelings of suspense, identification (internalizing characters’ feelings), and cognitive mastery (finding meaning and purpose from a story).
- Empathy: Reading books about different types of people, cultures, and situations can increase your empathy. It helps you to understand other people’s mental states, a skill called the Theory of Mind.
- Social Connection and Skills:
- Reading increases social interactions. Participating in book clubs or discussing favorite books can improve relationships. Social interaction is particularly crucial for older adults.
- Books also increase emotional intelligence and social perception.
What About Audiobooks?
Most research is on reading hard copies of books. However, some people may prefer listening to audiobooks due to their processing style, disabilities, vision, or discomfort of holding a book. Listening to a story and using auditory processing differs from visual reading, but your cognitive skills are still at work to parse meaning from speech.
You can listen to a book while walking or exercising, so reading isn’t a sedentary activity. People who are socially isolated may feel comforted hearing a human voice reading a book, which can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
An Engaging Escape
Reading keeps your mind sharp and helps you learn about yourself, others and the world around you. Practicing deep reading can get you into a flow state as you become absorbed in any story you choose. Research shows reading may help prevent neurodegeneration in older adults and help them stay connected. A healthy escape into a fiction book is a smart way to cope, relax, and relieve stress.
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