Reading

After I got my first Kindle (or e-book reader) I thought there was no going back to reading books in print. However, over the last year I have found myself picking up hard copies of books I love to re-read over and over again, or books that are part of my undergraduate research lab book club. And, although, I love the ability to download a book on my Kindle in just a few seconds, I have to admit there is something nice about the feel of a book and the turning of the pages as you read. In fact, a recent study has some empirical evidence to perhaps back why reading in print may feel more satisfying. Parents were asked to read stories to their toddlers using print or electronic books. When children were read print books by their parents there was more conversation about the story. What were the characters doing, where was the story taking place, and so on. In contrast, the e-books didn’t seem to evoke the same story excitement. In a way, print books may lead us to want to engage more with others. One reason (and I am speculating here) is that the tangibleness of a book suggests shared experience.