The title "Social media, brain rot and the slow death of reading," chosen by book critic and author Mia Levitin for her new article in the Financial Times, succinctly describes the "battle" we've all been living in for years. lastly, even those of us who were previously self-proclaimed "bookworms" are now struggling to put down our cell phones and enjoy reading a book.
Mia Levitin argues that even Literature students have stopped reading books today, or at least read them much less often than in the past. She cites a recent survey (Reading Agency), according to which the percentage of adults who read in Britain today has halved, from 58% in 2015, but this is now a universal phenomenon. The lure of social media is strong even for book lovers.
The "books vs. social media" race is decidedly unequal. Not only is social media designed to trigger repeated bursts of dopamine, the happy hormone, in our brains—and in some cases it's addictive, as neuroscientist Maryanne Wolff explains.
Reading is an acquired skill, which we cultivate through learning.
So, reading a book is, indeed, troublesome, as we may have understood from our experience, but it is worth it. Studies confirm that those who read regularly report higher levels of well-being and life satisfaction, plus better sleep, concentration and creativity. We don't even need to have endless free time available to benefit from the beneficial effect of reading: a study showed that six minutes a day is enough to reduce our stress by two-thirds.
Therapist Ella Berthoud offers advice on starting to (re)exercise our reading "muscles" if we feel like they're stuck. We can test whether audiobooks suit us, start with short texts such as story collections, novellas, notebooks and graphic novels, but also give ourselves motivation, for example to start, along with the new year , a reading calendar or a beautiful reading corner at home.
We can also join reading clubs (yes, they still exist, and with people of all ages), which will motivate us to finish the book in time to discuss it at their next meeting and bring us to contact with people with common interests.
And if we can't imagine a single day of our lives without the Internet, let's see reading as if we're immersing ourselves in this world, analog, without constant notifications and ads to interrupt our attention, as we continue the journey to undisturbed happiness.
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