What does reading on screens do to our brains? | BBC Ideas 

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Nothing can replace the beauty of holding a beautiful book and lying down under a tree reading for hours. It's absolutely magical.

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.

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

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.

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 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 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!

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.

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.

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! ❤❤❤

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.

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’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.

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.

Answer starts at 3:45

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 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.

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😀

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

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...

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.

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 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.

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!

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

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!

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.

Each person that reads has to create circuit in their own brains … creativity intelligence empathy

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.

What about reading on an ereader like a kindle? It has a very similar look to reading on paper.

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"?

Great stuff. All the guests spoke well. They made me appreciate the gift of reading more. Kudos on this one!

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

I will certainly pray for you Sir. We need people like you who are angels

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 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?

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 😅

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 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.

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.

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.

I love reading so much thank you for the ethereal video🎥

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.

Great, this is the topic of my thesis😍

Thank you so much.

My life would be so much smaller without books.

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.

Thank you BBC!❤

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.

Wow! It's just real ando amazing! Reading it's My hobby since I was little girl, thanks for sharing !

Many rare or expensive books can be readily found as pdfs, and this is the one benefit of ebooks.

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.

I love reading and this yes I didn't do much. I pray I will do better next year

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 🙄🙄

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.

News Flash : ‘Good writing’ is damn well worth recognizing, promoting, and reading.

Bibliotherapy. That seems really interesting. I really didn't know about it 😍

Okay, this is the sign, i need to go back to my books and start reading again

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.

Interesting, thanks.

useful, thanks

Tell this to those who invented computer based testing methods.

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!

Excellent video 🙌🏾

My mother always said that reading is good exercise for the brain.

My pleasure.

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.

Is reading using e-book reader reading on screen? Does screen inferiority affect reading when using ebook reader?

Excelente!

That's just what I need.

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 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...

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 :)

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.

That's amazing.

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.

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’ve always been bad in reading comprehension and speed reading, which may explain why I hate reading on a screen and can’t finish ebooks.

Short answer - it makes your attention span less

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.

Books are awesome. Thanks to the people who write them.

I dont have reading experience, but i love to reading books. tell me such ideas how to be interested in reading books.

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.

Paper books are awesome. It's a great feeling❤

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.

Does this apply for readin on e-ink screens as well? I read moslty on kindle these days

Love that the Bible says that humankind is a little above 6.000 years old and that we have been reading for that time.