Why It’s Getting Harder to Read Books

A few years ago, I started to notice a disturbing phenomenon: it was getting harder and harder for me to sit down and read a book.

This was particularly worrying to me because I am a lifelong, library card-carrying, self-described “avid reader” and bibliophile.

Even as someone who used to read Russian novels for hours at a time, I found myself coming home in the evening and watching Netflix, scrolling Reddit, or responding to texts instead. My bedtime would roll around and I’d realize that the time I’d meant to dedicate to reading had slipped through my fingers. Meanwhile, the “to-be-read” pile of books on my coffee table was collecting a fine layer of dust. 

This problem was challenging my sense of identity as a reader. Was I turning into one of those people who didn’t read books? The thought flooded my soul with a sense of loss.

And it wasn’t just me. Polling data shows that Americans are reading fewer books now than in 2016, or at any time in the last 30 years. 

But what was causing this problem? What was making it so much more difficult to sit down and read a book than it had been in the past?

After thinking about, researching, and working through this problem for myself, I’ve broken it down into three main factors: distraction, temptation, and anxiety. 

Distraction

Imagine you’ve finally sat down to read a new book. You’re a couple of pages in, and just starting to get into the flow of reading and enjoying the story. Ding! You hear the telltale sound of a new notification on your phone. Do you check it? If so, you’re losing a lot more than the 30 seconds it might take to read and respond. 

According to researcher Gloria Mark at the University of California, Irvine, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain focus after an interruption. What?! Yes, it’s true.

On top of that, the average American checks their phone 96 times per day, or once every ten minutes. Combined with the previous statistic, that means most of us are never truly focused at any time in the day. No wonder so many of us have a hard time settling into a book.

Temptation

People used to ask me how I read so many books. My standard answer was that I lived without a TV for ten years, from age 18 to 28. 

But a couple of years ago, I was working at a stressful, more-than-full-time job, running a mental health treatment center in the middle of the pandemic. By the time I came home at the end of the day, I felt like I just didn’t have the energy to pick up a book. Instead, I found myself checking Reddit, or turning on Netflix to binge watch Cobra Kai. What had happened to me?

Social apps, mobile games, and many other new media are carefully designed to be as addictive as possible. Scrolling down on your social feed, for example, works just like pulling the lever on a slot machine–-each time you do, you may or may not be rewarded with that bright, shiny nugget of information that causes your brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter of reward and motivation that makes you want more. This variable reinforcement is what keeps you scrolling.

Books can’t compete with the quick, steep spikes of dopamine we get from new media sources that are designed for just that purpose. TV, video games, social apps, dating apps, and porn all deliver faster, more furious dopamine hits than a dusty old book.

Furthermore, willpower is a limited resource. The more decisions you’ve had to make in the course of your day, the more stress-inducing demands have been placed on your time, attention, and energy, the less you have left to resist the siren call of digital distractions. 

Anxiety

In May of 2020, in what now seem like the halcyon early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vox culture writer Constance Grady interviewed neuroscientist Oliver J. Robinson to ask why it felt so difficult to read books at that time. The answer he gave focused on anxiety, and how it can disrupt our ability to pay attention. 

Anxiety, unlike fear, is about uncertainty. There’s not a clear and present danger, but we’re not sure if we’re safe, either. When we’re anxious, we’re constantly scanning our environment for potential sources of danger, trying to resolve this uncertainty that often just can’t be resolved. 

Our ability to focus, especially on a cognitively demanding task like reading a book, is dependent on a number of different processes, such as working memory and executive function. Anxiety disrupts all of these. 

According to the WHO, global rates of anxiety and depression increased 25% during the first year of the pandemic.  Since then, I suspect, political instability, the war in Ukraine, and other looming existential threats like climate change have all contributed to the current epidemic of anxiety that is wreaking havoc on our ability to focus. When we feel like we need to constantly check Twitter or Apple News to make sure the world isn’t ending, no wonder we find it hard to sit down and read a novel. 

The Solution

So, what to do about these three factors that are keeping us from reading? 

Distraction: When you want to read, sit down somewhere you will not be interrupted. Silence your phone and put it somewhere you can’t see it, preferably in another room, or at a minimum, face down on a surface. Set a timer for the amount of time you want to read. I suggest using 25 minutes at a time, as per the Pomodoro technique. 

Temptation: Think about why it’s important to you to read. Connect it to your core values and goals. Decide what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to make it happen. Can you cut out 30 minutes a day from Netflix and internet scrolling? If so, you can probably get through 25-30 books per year, with average reading speed. Then, make it a habit. Block out the time in your schedule each day and try to be consistent. 

Anxiety: Cutting out 24/7 news sources will do wonders for your anxiety, but there are plenty of other things you can do to help manage stress, including exercise, meditation, and getting plenty of sleep. Finally, reading a good book is a time-honored and research-backed way to reduce your stress levels. 

So, if you’ve struggled to make time to read in recent years, take heart. By taking a few simple steps to manage distraction, temptation, and anxiety, you can make reading a productive and enjoyable part of your life again.