Reading Books on Paper vs Digital

How often do you hold a book in your hand?

Across the world, the human race is reading more than we ever have in recorded history. However, most of us also spend hours in front of a desktop or mobile screen every day.

Even with the best books to read easily available in both brick and mortar shops and through online shipping, digital media is typically the majority of what we read.

What does the difference between print and digital mean for us in terms of reading comprehension, physical strain, and mental alertness? Why do we prefer print for some reading materials and digital for others? Below, we’ll answer these questions and more.

What Are the Benefits of Reading Printed Books?

Readers of printed books show better memory of plotlines, a better understanding of narratives, and greater immersion.

Even though mobile devices are now the norm, most people still turn to books on paper for deep-reading of very long and continuous texts. This may be because of headaches and blurry vision arising from prolonged periods of looking at a screen — symptoms so common and widespread, that the American Optometric Association recognizes computer vision syndrome as an official medical condition.

Students with physical study materials often score better and find note-taking easier — even with existing devices and electronic formats that allow for quick text searching, bookmarking, and highlighting.

Scientists attribute these effects to the tactile sensation provided by holding books in your hands. This is supported by a study of college students from Germany, Japan, the U.S., and Slovakia. Subjects cited less eye strain and better concentration as benefits of printed book reading. Some even noted that they liked the smell of physical books.

Reading words on paper, illuminated by natural or incandescent light, is also easier on your sleep cycle. When you stay up all night glued to your phone screen, the blue light emanating from it confuses your body and wreaks havoc on your melatonin levels. The artificial brightness makes it harder for you to feel sleepy and drift off naturally.

What Are the Benefits of Reading on Your Phone or Tablet?

The internet has caused an unprecedented rise in reading, but it’s not as advantageous for books as you think. We read constantly — emails, news updates, linked articles, discussion forum threads, social media posts, messaging app conversations, and more — but not in the way our ancestors did.

While reading books on paper is still very much preferred, using digital screens is not without benefits. More than 65 percent of university students can multitask while reading this way, compared to less than 45 percent of print readers. Comprehension aside, if the goal is to tick off entries on your to-do list quickly, catching up on your reading via your phone is your best bet.

There’s also the much-welcomed decrease in spending and physical effort, at least for students. In 2019, the National Association of College Stores reported that 22 percent of students in higher education currently use free digital course materials. Keeping a copy of a book in cloud storage or on your mobile device is also so much more comfortable and hassle-free than lugging around heavy textbooks.

Digital add-ons, such as pop-up online quizzes and easy access to word definitions, may also give online educational texts an edge. Some speculate that studies comparing printed books to their digital counterparts don’t take these innovations into consideration when evaluating overall value.

Paper or Digital Screen: What’s Better?

There is no universal answer, but in general, it is important to remember that any reading is good — especially for children. If you find that a child finds it difficult to focus and stay on a reading task when using a tablet, switch to using paper materials to see if it makes a difference.

Most people still like reading long stories on printed books, likely because the way they feel about print and digital is different. Whether or not you realize it, you may have this bias, too.

Humans are more distracted and less able to get into a learning state of mind when in front of a screen. We also tend to be more overconfident about our reading comprehension when faced with digital media. What’s really happening is that we read faster from a screen, but often understand less.

However, as technology improves — to address vision problems, comprehension issues, and more — attitudes will change, too. In fact, 20 percent of all book sales in the U.S. are now made up of ebooks purchases.

That being said, don’t let a shopping splurge at your local bookstore lead to a guilty conscience. After all, science confirms that it’s good for you.

Resources— Mental Floss, Phys.org, Scientific American, The Hechinger Report

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