Johra Warab, Junior — Special to Headlight
What makes reading paper books better than e-books? Books have been around for over 2000 years. There’s multiple types and genres of them, and even though e-books have the same contents as tactile books, they still don’t provide the reader with the same experience that paper books give.
Paper books are proven by studies to help improve the learning process for kids. Children focus better when books are being read to them by a parent rather than an electronic book. They have better focus and understanding from tangible books as it makes them feel more connected to the story. Kids tend to gain reading skills faster when being
talked to about the book. They ask more questions about the story and exchange thoughts on it. The study also shows that kids focus more on the device rather than the narrative when reading from an e-book.
E-books can be harmful to your health, more specifically your eyes. Looking at a screen for hours can harm your eyes. A study shows that people focusing on their screens blink less often, which causes the eyes to dry out and not get enough nutrients. Most people, especially myself, already use so many electronics, by reading online, it only makes the eyesight worse. Reading physical books helps your eyes take a break from screen time.
E-books are not only harmful to your eyes, but they are also distracting. Random links and ads pop up and distract you from the joy of reading. A study from Norway’s Stavanger University shows that tangible books allow the reader to have a deeper connection with the story, for books help readers to engage with their books better than e-readers. Paper books make you physically feel your progress when you read as the pages get fewer and fewer. They get you more excited for the upcoming events in the book, and help you feel more connected to the narrative.
There are a whole lot of reasons to why reading from a real book is better than reading from an electronic book. Although they share the same information, they somehow provide a completely different experience, especially when completing a book: being able to flip to the last page of the book!