By Nital Jain
A room without books is like a body without a soul.
Books and book cafes will never lose their charm. For many years all of us have spent a lot of our money on books. Browsing through book stacks is always more fun than to just go online and either order one or purchase an ebook. Like a lot of other things, bookstores with technology are being swamped by online behemoths like Kindle, iBooks, etc. But, there are still a lot of people who would choose libraries and print books instead of sitting at home and reading ebooks. The exchange of books as gifts with a friend or a colleague or to buy your favourite books for each other has to be one of the best gift ideas ever. Collecting first editions of classics and smelling those old pages is still the best feeling for many of us, always leaving us mesmerised. All this cannot be compared with the new age digital books. For some, ebook readers are not even readers, because if you don’t smell the book before reading it then you’re not a reader at all.
Physical books are said to be better than ebooks scientifically also, here are some reasons why?
They are better and easier on the eyes
Considering the fact that all our work nowadays has been restricted to screens we should give our eyes rest whenever we can. More than 75% of people face migraines and headaches because of more than 4hrs of screen time which is way more than the eyes should be exposed to. So, if you are taking a break from work and other necessary screen time activities like work, etc, reading with physical paperback books can be a good idea.
You absorb more information
Readers of printed books absorb and grasp more plot than the readers of ebooks, according to a study in 2014, Italy. Readers of printed books also understand the narrative better than the readers of ebooks. Waxing and waning of books pages can also help you in motivating to read more as well as you can see your progress in the story. In print books, you can always go back easily to confirm any information that you might have missed before. Flipping a few pages is any day better than scrolling and searching for the missed information.
Libraries and home libraries are linked with higher academic achievements
Libraries create momentum for you to study even if you’re not willing to, the silence and books all around you programme you into pushing yourself to study. According to a study, children who are surrounded by books ten to score better academically because they read/learn a lot from those books and discuss with their parents, making them more aware and awake than the rest of their batch. It doesn’t matter how many books you have, all that matters is your child or you see books.
You are less likely to get diverted
Surprisingly people who read ebooks are more likely to multitask than people who read print books according to a study but if you have to fully comprehend the story, paperbacks are a good option for you.
Ebooks tend to sidetrack you more easily because of the unlimited links attached to them and the constant internet connectivity and its pinging. Digital readers tend to spend more time on the internet and take much more time to read compared to paperback readers because of their distractions online.
They can help you sleep better
When you are constantly scrolling through your tablet or phone at night, you are exposed to blue screen light which distorts your melatonin levels and circadian cycles, making it difficult for you to fall asleep and even if you sleep it’s not a sound sleep making you grumpier in the morning. Reading with print books, in general, can make you drift off to sleep because of the engagement and brain work that comes from reading. So, if you want a sound sleep and want to read at night then the better idea for you is to stick with print books.
Print books have the feel of a book that many readers love. You can hold it, turn the pages, and feel the paper. physical book results in a better understanding when compared to digital-based reading.It is a little-known fact, but printed books are usually a lot fairer to the writer. Each time you read a book you invest your time and energy into that novel or story, which creates enjoyable memories.
There is one more benifit of physical books :-
Theft Resistant:
This might seem a strange one but is certainly true, physical books are theft prove. If you leave a book in the front seat of your car or unattended in a public place, it is almost certainly going to be there when you get back. This is probably not going to be the case if you tried the same thing with your iPad or Kindle.