It’s there on the nightstand, staring at us accusingly, that book they gave us last Christmas, that they promised we’d love, that we know we’ll like, but… it was time for the BeReal and right after we started checking out what our friends were saying in the Whatsapp group.
Reading a book is a pain. Besides, we often read for class or for work… We think: “I’ll relax for a while and then I’ll read.” But before we know it, more than an hour has passed and there’s no time left to read.
Does this sound familiar? In the age of social media, the time we spend reading a book has been significantly reduced , especially among children and teenagers , who are more likely to spend hours on platforms like TikTok or Instagram.
However, neuroscience reveals that reading books has much more positive and long-lasting effects on the brain compared to consuming content on social media. This article examines, from a neuroscientific perspective, why reading a book produces beneficial effects in areas such as memory, empathy and the ability to concentrate; while using social media, although rewarding in the short term, can have negative effects in the long term.
Improve memory and concentration ability
Reading a book involves deep cognitive processing. While we read, our brain activates areas such as the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus , which are responsible for functions such as planning, reflection, and long-term memory. The process of reading and understanding a text forces the brain to connect ideas and reflect on the issues raised, which strengthens the neural circuits associated with attention and comprehension.
Furthermore, this intellectual effort promotes the creation of synaptic connections in the hippocampus, which improves our memory and our ability to retain information.
Different types of gratification
In contrast, social media content is very brief and visually stimulating, which activates areas of the brain such as the nucleus accumbens, which is related to immediate gratification . This type of fast, fragmented processing weakens both our ability to concentrate and our long-term memory. As a consequence, this social media consumption, instead of producing deep learning, produces a dependence on the type of fast, superficial stimulation .
Dopamine dosage
If we take into account our neurotransmitter system, we know that dopamine is the neurotransmitter that the brain releases in response to a pleasurable experience , and its functioning differs significantly when we read a book compared to when we consume social networks.
When reading a book, dopamine is released gradually and continuously as we progress through the book’s narrative, promoting a reward that is experienced in the long term. This delayed gratification helps develop the ability to control oneself and postpone immediate pleasure, essential skills in emotional regulation and conscious decision-making.
In contrast, social media is designed to deliver instant reward. Each “like” triggers a quick spike of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, creating a cycle of immediate gratification. Although this feeling of pleasure is intense, it fades quickly, and the user can develop a dependency on this constant stimulation .
In the long term, this dynamic can reduce frustration tolerance and weaken self-control, especially in children and adolescents .
Emotional development
In addition, reading a book allows the reader to explore emotions and perspectives through the characters, which activates brain areas associated with empathy such as the superior temporal sulcus and the medial prefrontal cortex, contributing to healthier emotional development .
Social media content also generates emotional responses, but these responses are often fleeting and do not involve deep reflection. Social media often encourages social comparisons and can trigger rapid emotional responses, such as anxiety and low self-esteem. These types of emotions, when not accompanied by deep reflection, can reduce emotional resilience and hinder the development of self-understanding in children and adolescents.
Long-term memory
The impact on memory of reading a book or browsing social media is also different. Reading a book constantly activates the hippocampus, which facilitates the consolidation of long-term memory. As a story unfolds, the reader must retain and remember important details, characters, and events, which strengthens episodic and semantic memory .
In addition, the process of reading comprehension allows for the development of critical thinking skills. If we take into account the rapid consumption of content on platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, this encourages a very limited short-term memory. The brain receives a large amount of visual stimuli and fragments of information without adequate time to process and integrate them.
As a result, synaptic plasticity is impaired and the ability to retain information in the long term decreases. Frequent use of social media can therefore negatively affect learning and long-term memory skills .
Creation of new neurons
Over time, regular reading practice also promotes neurogenesis (creation of new neurons) and helps preserve brain health, reducing the risk of cognitive and emotional decline as we age.
But prolonged use of social media can have negative effects on these aspects. Excessive social media consumption is linked to a decrease in attention span, an increase in impulsivity and, in some cases, mental health problems such as anxiety and depression .
To achieve healthy brain development, only reading offers solid and sustainable benefits, so it is essential that children and adolescents cultivate this habit, leaving aside the use of social networks. So knowing everything we know: are we still going to be lazy about leaving the mobile phone in a drawer and opening that book waiting for us on the bedside table? As Cicero said, “A home without books is like a body without a soul.”
Author Bio: Carmen de Labra Pinedo is Associate Professor in the Area of Physiology at the University of Coruña