Is reading printed books healthier?

The importance of reading

We all know how important it is to read . It not only serves to increase our culture and knowledge, or to distract us and entertain us. It also helps the brain to function effectively and efficiently as the years go by. Reading allows the creation of new neuronal pathways , which in other terms means greater brain activity, which can keep us away from Alzheimer's

A study of older readers showed truly encouraging results: older people who read regularly are 2.5 times less likely to develop the dreaded Alzheimer's.

Now, according to very recent studies, reading digital books or printed books is not the same.

What are the differences?
Reading on paper promotes reading comprehension
Although it seems strange, when we read in the kindles , for example, that visual and tactile feedback is not established, which exists when we open a book. Apparently, our brains were not designed to read; however, they have adapted to this technique and have drawn new circuits to understand both letters and texts, and consequently, the entire semantic domain. The brain reads through a mental representation of the text , which is based on the location of the pages. Has not it happened to you that you remember exactly where you read a sentence, including whether it is above, at the center or at the bottom of the page? Well this happens with printed books, because the tactile experience helps the memory.

Those of us who love books enjoy their weight, the thickness of the paper, its smell, the fact of turning the pages, even writing on them. In fact, the latest models of kindle admit the possibility of making notes in the margin , as when we do it on paper. However, this digital support does not offer the same support for our mental reconstruction to be effective. And for that reason, those who read on paper will remember better what they read than those who do it with a kindle.

The way of reading changed
When we read in digital we do it in the form of F , unlike when the brain reads on paper, in a linear way. Before the internet , our brain read in that way, while taking advantage of all sensory experiences to remember where the information was coming from.

With electronic devices, the text tends to be simplified and the meaning is not really absorbed.

Reading in the form of F happens when we read on the screen: the whole of the upper line is read, but then we "scan" the text all along the left side of the page, which reduces comprehension and concentration. This drastically diminishes our ability to immerse ourselves in reading a novel or when we have to read in more depth.

"Slow reading" and health
It is a new movement of lovers of reading to counter this difficulty. They recommend a minimum of 30 to 45 minutes of daily reading , without distractions and far (as far as possible) from the technology. When it is done, we are returning to our brain the ability to reconnect with linear reading, which brings many benefits to health: reducing stress, improving concentration, increasing empathy and improving sleep. If you take a novel and read it about an hour before going to sleep, the brain calms down and diverts all the energy accumulated during the day with the contact of electronic devices.

If before we liked to read on paper, now science gives us the reasons.