The joy of reading

A reflection on the pleasures of reading good books.

“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” This quote by the American entrepreneur and motivational speaker Jim Rohn nicely captures the approach to reading in our competitive society. You have to read as many books as possible in order to become smarter than your peers. This narrow-minded perspective on reading can result in feelings of anxiety and pressure to read particular books (often referred to as “classics”). And you better take notes, so you don’t forget the valuable life lessons hidden in their pages. A similar reading anxiety is apparent in academia, where you feel oblidged to read countless papers and textbooks to “keep up with the literature” (see my recent blog post on scientific FOMO). These unhealthy relationships with reading take away much of the joy that this activity can bring.

I could give you numerous reasons why reading is good for your brain and mental health. But that is not the point of this short blog post. Instead, I want to explore why reading can be so relaxing and fulfilling. I am not an expert on this topic, so the following paragraphs are mainly based on personal experiences and a few things I have read. I hope you can relate.

Flow

The main reason for the joy of reading might be flow: “the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.” This feeling has also been described as being in the zone. When you are reading an interesting book or exciting story, you might become totally immersed in it. You forget everything around you and only focus on the letters in front of you. Achieving the flow state requires a good balance between your reading skills (in terms of language or knowledge) and the level of the book. If the book is too simple – such as a children’s book – you will get bored quickly. If, however, the book is too difficult, you will become anxious and frustrated. Either way, reading will not be fun. So, find the books that fit your reading skills and get into the zone!

An important consequence of the flow state is that your thoughts will not wander. You are so focused on the book in your hand that nothing else matters. This mental state is very similar to what people try to achieve with meditation. Blocking out all negative thoughts and being present in the here and now. This might explain why you feel so relaxed after a reading session.

Find the right balance between your skill level and a challenge can bring you in a state of flow.

Coffee in Uppsala

I am not sure if these ideas about reading, flow states and meditation are correct. But they do make a lot of sense to me. During my academic career, I have occasionally lost the joy of reading because I was too focused on gathering relevant knowledge. At work, every paper or book that I read had to contribute to my scientific interest. Obviously, this caused a lot of anxiety and stress. However, in the evenings – and especially in the weekends – I would wind down with a good book. While I was working and living in Uppsala (Sweden), I would go to a nice coffee shop in the city center and just read. That is where I truly experienced the joy of reading. Nowadays, I mostly read at home. But that does not prevent me from reaching a flow state. The location is less important. Just grab a good book and read.

The coffee shop in Uppsala.