If you’re an avid reader, then devices like Kindle or iPads will probably be your mode of choice when it comes to reading your fiction or news. In fact, the publishing industry has changed a lot since their inception – not only are readers able to download oodles of books onto their devices, authors can now self-publish online.
Then again, if you love reading, you might want to consider reading printed versions. Because science has given us some health benefits to reading printed material over their digital brethren.
Print Books Help You Sleep
You probably know that staring at tablets and phones is hurting our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Well, if you’re using a multipurpose device (like an iPad) as opposed to a purpose-specific e-reader like a Kindle, you’re exposing yourself to the same blue light that’s messing with melatonin, circadian cycles, and the like, which all lead to you feeling tired when you wake up.
That said, the act of reading still serves as a great remedy for occasional insomnia or restlessness.
We Just Don’t Read As Well When We’re Looking at Screens
A 2005 report in Scientific American by San Jose University found that people reading books and articles on screens are far more likely to take shortcuts or cheat through the piece. Let’s just say that our focus isn’t the greatest when all we’re doing is reading short blog posts – not when you get plenty of distracting pop-up ads. What happens is that we aren’t able to take the reading seriously.
If you’re using devices to read your textbooks, a study found that even news stories consumed via e-reader weren’t recalled as well as those that were read via print. In the study, 50 subjects were given a short story to read – half on a device and half in a printed version. The result? The Kindle readers performed significantly worse on the plot reconstruction measure, ie, when they were asked to place 14 events in the correct order.
When you read on paper you can sense with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing, and shrinking on the right. You have the tactile sense of progress, in addition to the visual.
While reading physical books – or magazines – is better for your eyes and memory retention, many of us still can’t be bothered to lug around bricks of printed matter in our already-heavy bags. Still, reading something is better than nothing.
For those who want to take a step from reading Campus magazine online to our printed version (yes, we have a free printed version too), check out our distribution outlets to pick up your free copy!
