The COVID-19 pandemic is widely regarded as a period of grief, desolation, and isolation. While most people spent their time helplessly scrolling on their phones or anxiously awaiting a return to society, I found solace in one of humanity’s greatest creations, books.
Around October of 2020, thanks to DracoTok — a TikTok trend that started with Draco Malfoy edits but quickly evolved into a community of Harry Potter fans — I decided to finally pick up the “Harry Potter” books and read them for the first time. Even though I had already seen all the movies and was a big fan, nothing could have prepared me for the emotional connection I developed towards the Wizarding World and all its characters. After finishing the series in under a month, I was immediately catapulted into a world of literature in search of the next great novel.
I quickly found myself finishing a new book every three to four days, putting everything aside and focusing on the story in front of me. By the end of 2021, I had read 74 captivating novels, ranging from fantasy to biography, each of which further expanded my knowledge and vocabulary.
One of my favorite parts of reading is the benefits I gain from such a simple activity.
According to research conducted by the University of Sussex, reading can lower your heart rate, ease muscle tension, and reduce stress levels by 68% in as little as six minutes. A study by Robert S. Wilson, published by the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s, shows that reading, writing, and engaging in other mentally stimulating activities can help maintain memory and thinking skills. It also helps preserve brain health and avert symptoms of Alzheimer’s in old age. Researchers also found that it is beneficial in discovering new words, especially for grade school students.
The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta partnered with the DeKalb Public Library for their Raising Resilience campaign. After speaking to Gina Jenkins, the Youth Services coordinator for DeKalb Public Library, she emphasized the true meaning behind the campaign.
“That’s all about picking up a book, reading a book, and learning from the characters in the book. How they face problems, their challenges, learning from that, and how they handle things,” Jenkins said. “Reading about other people, whether they’re real or fiction, and how they would handle things, is a very positive movement.”
Even with all the research showing that reading can positively affect one’s brain in multiple ways, the number of people reading has declined exponentially over the past 20 years. Researchers from University College London and the University of Florida found that the number of people who read for pleasure has dropped by 40% from 2003 to 2023.
With the continual rise in technology and social media, fewer and fewer people are turning to books for entertainment. It is hard to compete with the constant stream of content on those platforms, especially since it tends to be personalized for each viewer.
“Social media is very impactful, distraction-wise. People are doing that more so than reading, and then the kids, a lot of our kids don’t think of reading for pleasure,” Jenkins said.
After leaving social media twice this year, I have happily retreated to reading and media entertainment. Leaving those platforms has exponentially increased my attention span, which research by Alina Poles for Scientific Research shows is negatively affected by social media use. Instead of doomscrolling on TikTok or Instagram, I spend my free time watching those “must-watch” movies or TV shows and catching up on the hundreds of books on my TBR (to be read) list.
“If you’re stuck on your phone a lot and you feel like you just have to have something in your hand, download a book on your phone,” Jenkins said.
Readers can now personalize their reading experience to suit their interests, whether that’s audiobooks, e-books, or physical books. While each method provides the same result of reading and finishing books, they offer different experiences.
Audiobooks are an excellent option for multitaskers and auditory learners; e-books are super convenient and accessible. But physical books are seemingly best for comprehension and don’t require screens.
Having tried the different methods myself, Kindles are definitely the most convenient, and you can purchase practically any book, and it’ll stay in your library forever. Audiobooks made it harder for me to pay attention to the storyline, but made doing tasks more enjoyable.
But for me, nothing will ever compare to the feeling of picking up a tangible book and immediately immersing myself in the story. From the crisp scent of the paper to the sound of the pages turning, there is a familiar feeling of warmth every time I pick up a book. With each novel that I read, my personal world of literature expands, and my love for reading grows.
