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If earlier we read newspapers and books in public transport, now we are increasingly staring at the screen of a smartphone or tablet. But what if reading from gadgets makes you uncomfortable?
Some of us cannot read from tablets. And not because they like the smell of books and the rustle of pages more. They are physically unable to do this – someone’s eyes start to hurt, and someone does not absorb the information read from the screen of an electronic device. What are the reasons? And is it necessary to stop reading from electronic media?
1. We miss a lot of important details.
Readers of books downloaded to tablets show lower levels of immersion and empathy compared with those who read the same books in their paper version, found the Norwegian psychologist Anne Mangen (Anne Mangen) from the University of Stavanger. Why this happens is still not entirely clear. Enne Mangen suggests: “When you read a paper book, you have a tactile sense of how the number of pages on the left increases and the number on the right decreases … Perhaps this provides a more intense sense of how the text and plot develop.” Reading on a tablet with the ability to check social media feeds also opens up a loophole for too many breaks. In order for information to be retained in memory, reading must be long and continuous.
2. Screen reading causes emotional stress.
Reading in itself is a great way to de-stress after a hard day at work. Cognitive neuropsychologist David Lewis in his study claims that just 6 minutes with a book is enough to relax2. However, frequent screen reading at night not only cancels this powerful relaxing effect, but, on the contrary, can cause depression, extreme fatigue, and even insomnia. This was established by a team of Swedish psychologists from the University of Gothenburg led by Sara Thomée3.
To rest your eyes from the screen, every 20 minutes look at an object at a distance of about 6 meters from you for 20 seconds
Constant use of gadgets reduces attention span. We jump from meme to meme, from link to link, and endlessly checking social media pages – it is very difficult to focus in this case. Poor concentration signals us about inefficiency, the awareness of which, in turn, gives rise to a feeling of guilt for wasted time.
3. We have vision problems and accompanying unpleasant physical symptoms.
We usually blink about 15 times per minute, but when we read from the small screen of a smartphone, we do it twice as often. Reading from a screen provokes the effect of dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches, pain in the neck and shoulders. This complex of symptoms is called “computer visual syndrome”. To prevent it from happening, follow the 20-20-20 rule.
Every 20 minutes, look at an object 20 feet away from you for at least 6 seconds.
1 D. Lewis «Galaxy Stress Research», Mindlab International, Sussex University, 2009.
2 S. Thomée et al. «Computer use and stress, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of depression among young adults — a prospective cohort study», BMC Psychiatry, October 2012.
3 A. Mangen, D. Kuiken «Lost in the iPad: Narrative engagement on paper and tablet», Scientific Study of Literature, 2014.