How Have Our Brains Changed From Reading in a Digital Age?

Old best-sellers offer quality and content that are hard to find in today's young adult books. (Westend61/Getty Images)

In the age of smartphones, tablets, and e-readers, the way we read has undergone a deep transformation. But what are the cognitive effects of this shift to digital mediums?

Macquarie University researchers, Sixin Liao, Lili Yu, Jan-Louis Kruger, and Professor Erik Reichle, reveal interesting highlights in a review, Dynamic Reading in A Digital Age: New insights on Cognition, published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences in September 2023.

Their findings not only shed light on how digital reading affects our brains but also offer valuable insights into the ongoing debate between paper and screens.

A New Chapter in Reading Evolution

Putting the study into perspective, Mr. Reichle said, “In terms of human brain development, reading is a recent addition to our communication arsenal.”

“We did not evolve to read, and the interplay of cognitive and visual systems that is needed for us to do so is incredibly complex. It requires rapid shifts of attention and higher-level linguistic representation in a series of separate mental processes all happening dynamically, and each taking 60-200 milliseconds,” he said.

“Our language developed as speech, so speaking and listening come naturally, but reading only emerged about 5,500 years ago. We are not hard-wired to read, and it remains something we have to learn, and can only master by practising for 10 to 15 years.”

This highlights the significance of reading and its relatively recent incorporation into human cognition. From the invention of written language to the digital revolution, reading has continuously shaped the way we process information.

The Digital Dilemma: Convenience vs. Cognition

In today’s digital age, screens have become ubiquitous platforms for reading, which provides its own challenges.

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A number of other studies also suggest that what we read on screens means the difference between how we process the information which directly impacts our comprehension, regardless of languages and writing systems.

This is often called the screen inferiority effect and means while we may understand the gist of what we are reading, we often can struggle to recall details.

However, the sole exception to inferiority of screen effect rule might lie in e-readers, that are carefully crafted to replicate the immersive experience of reading a traditional book.

While digital devices provide the advantages of convenience and fast accessibility, Ms. Yu shared that contributing factors play a hand including the kind of content we are reading.

“When people become immersed in a narrative, like a novel, then comprehension is less likely to be affected by reading on a screen,” she said.

“However, comprehension drops when we are using a screen to read information-dense text, like a textbook for study.

“The amount of time you have available also seems to be a factor, as when readers are put under pressure in studies to read something quickly, their comprehension drops for test on screen compared to paper.

“The effect is more pronounced for less skilled readers, and one study also suggested that reading on a screen can increase readers’ susceptibility to misinformation, as they don’t notice discrepancies in the content so easily.”

So, how does that drop in comprehension happen?

Well, more research is required to know more as it’s not understood well.

Ms. Yu shared some of her insights. Things like habit and association and physical factors like fatigue, comfort, and eye strain that results from long periods of activity involving eye focus are all contributing factors.

Other Impacts Of The Screen Inferiority Effect

Digital devices also encourage skimming text, especially on smart phones that can have smaller screens compared to other devices. Focusing on longer more complex text on smaller screens also contributes to a lack of focus.

Adding to that, we live in an age where frequent notifications, pop up links, and automatically playing videos are also competing for our attention.

Ms. Yu outlines the concern of the screen inferiority effect and the impact it has on our ability to learn, both in online and educational settings—the classroom.

“We know people who are less skilled readers are most affected, which means the greatest impact is likely to be on the people who already need more help to succeed,” she said.

“Something we don’t yet understand is what effect it will have on children who are learning to read primarily on screens, and we are not likely to find out for another 10 to 15 years.”

Finding Balance in the Digital Era

With the steady decline of our ability to focus on printed material, Mr. Reichle shares that one method to sustain our concentration is by reducing the amount of time we spend multi-tasking.

“When we are watching TV or talking to someone, we are often using our phones to scroll social media or play a game at the same time,” he said

“We aren’t giving either activity our full attention, but the content we’re seeing there is very short, it is engaging, and we’ve learned that it can give us frequent hits of dopamine.

“Books are static, there’s nothing moving or flashing, so it has become harder for them to keep our attention.”

But don’t expect it to happen overnight.

Mr. Reichle recommends in order to focus on books again, start by spending the time reading them, and choosing a book that is of interest, a place where you can be comfortable with good lighting, and minimise distractions.

“Focus is a skill that you have to rebuild gradually, so don’t expect to get it back immediately,” he says.

“It’s going to take time, but it is worth the effort.”