Jane Ammeson Times correspondent

FRIDAY January 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) – As for what makes us happy, is it better to read or listen to music than to spend hours playing video games?

Not really, says a team of researchers from the UK and Austria.

“A lot of people think traditional media, like reading books or listening to music, are good for us,” said study leader Niklas Johannes of the University of Oxford.

“Surprisingly, we don’t really have good evidence that this is the case. In fact, this belief that new media is harmful but traditional media is beneficial can be quite elitist, ”he said.

To find out more, Johannes and his colleagues followed the media usage of nearly 2,200 UK participants for two months. Their habits were then compared to the level of anxiety and happiness the participants reported feeling.

It didn’t matter, according to the study, how much time people poked their noses through a book rather than delving into the technology. Ultimately, the two leisure activities had roughly the same impact on a person’s sense of well-being.

Johannes, a postdoctoral researcher in an Oxford Institute program focused on adolescent wellness in the digital age, sought to see how seven types of media affected participants‘ happiness and anxiety levels.

Six weekly surveys were administered to a representative sample of people aged 16 and over.

Participants indicated whether they had been involved in music, television, movies, video games, books, magazines, and / or audiobooks in the past week and how much time they had spent on it. each activity. They also indicated how happy and / or anxious they felt the day before each survey.

Researchers found that people who read or listened to audiobooks had no increase in happiness compared to those who did not. They weren’t any less anxious either.

At the same time, participants who had fun with music, TV, movies, and / or video games seemed slightly more enthusiastic and unhappy than those who didn’t.

“These differences were very small, too small for people to notice,” Johannes said.

The medium that a person uses or for how long has “little or no effect” on happiness, the researchers concluded.

“It’s easy to point fingers at the media when we are faced with big social issues, like mental health,” Johannes said. “But research generally shows that the effect of media on mental health is small. So their bad reputation is certainly not deserved.

Yet Johannes pointed out that social media engagement was not among the activities analyzed by the researchers. And although they track the time spent with different types of media, the researchers did not delve into the specific content of any of the books, magazines, music, videos, or games.

Which means, for now, the results should be interpreted as associations, he said, rather than evidence of cause and effect.

The results were published on January 6 in the journal Scientific reports.

James Maddux, professor emeritus of psychology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Reviewed the results.

He pointed out that the study did not address the fact that modern life is not so sharply divided between old and new technology. Maddux noted, for example, that when he reads 90% of the time he does so in front of a computer.

Describing himself as “one of those elitist snobs” who long thought reading books was a better use of time than watching TV or playing video games, Maddux said the findings came to him as “unsurprising.”

He suggested the next step might be for researchers to delve deeper into the actual content of the media consumed, to see if what gets absorbed is more critical than how much.

“A study conducted several years ago found that reading what is often referred to as ‘literary fiction’ – [meaning] Jane Austen vs. John Grisham – can lead to an increased capacity for empathy, ”Maddux said. “So maybe what kind of movies and series people watch matters too. “

It would be great, Maddux added, if the authors of this study had access to this information.

More information

There is more information on the effects of digital media on mood in the World Happiness Report.

SOURCES: Niklas Johannes, PhD, postdoctoral researcher, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, England; James Maddux, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Psychology and Principal Investigator, Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia; Scientific reports, January 6, 2022

FRIDAY January 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) – As for what makes us happy, is it better to read or listen to music than to spend hours playing video games?

Not really, says a team of researchers from the UK and Austria.

“A lot of people think traditional media, like reading books or listening to music, are good for us,” said study leader Niklas Johannes of the University of Oxford.

“Surprisingly, we don’t really have strong evidence as to whether this is the case. In fact, this belief that new media is harmful but traditional media is beneficial can be rather elitist,” he said. declared.

To find out more, Johannes and his colleagues followed the media usage of nearly 2,200 UK participants for two months. Their habits were then compared to the level of anxiety and happiness the participants reported feeling.

It didn’t matter, according to the study, how much time people poked their noses through a book rather than delving into the technology. Ultimately, the two leisure activities had roughly the same impact on a person’s sense of well-being.

Johannes, a postdoctoral researcher in an Oxford Institute program focused on adolescent wellness in the digital age, sought to see how seven types of media affected participants‘ happiness and anxiety levels.

Six weekly surveys were administered to a representative sample of people aged 16 and over.

Participants indicated whether they had been involved in music, television, movies, video games, books, magazines, and / or audiobooks in the past week and how much time they had spent on it. each activity. They also indicated how happy and / or anxious they felt the day before each survey.

Researchers found that people who read or listened to audiobooks had no increase in happiness compared to those who didn’t. They weren’t any less anxious either.

At the same time, participants who had fun with music, TV, movies, and / or video games seemed slightly more enthusiastic and unhappy than those who didn’t.

“These differences were very small, too small for people to notice,” Johannes said.

The means used by a person or for how long has “little or no effect” on happiness, the researchers concluded.

“It’s easy to point fingers at the media when we are faced with big social issues, like mental health,” Johannes said. “But research generally shows that the effect of media on mental health is weak. So their bad reputation is certainly not deserved.”

Yet Johannes pointed out that social media engagement was not among the activities analyzed by the researchers. And although they track the time spent with different types of media, the researchers did not delve into the specific content of any of the books, magazines, music, videos, or games.

Which means, for now, the results should be interpreted as associations, he said, rather than evidence of cause and effect.

The results were published on January 6 in the journal Scientific reports.

James Maddux, professor emeritus of psychology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Reviewed the results.

He pointed out that the study did not address the fact that modern life is not so sharply divided between old and new technology. Maddux noted, for example, that when he reads 90% of the time he does so in front of a computer.

Describing himself as “one of those elitist snobs” who long thought reading books was a better use of time than watching TV or playing video games, Maddux said the findings came to him as “unsurprising.”

He suggested the next step might be for researchers to delve deeper into the actual content of the media consumed, to see if what gets absorbed is more critical than how much.

“A study conducted several years ago found that reading what is often referred to as ‘literary fiction’ – [meaning] Jane Austen vs. John Grisham – can lead to an increased capacity for empathy, ”Maddux said. “So maybe what kind of movies and series people watch matters too.

It would be great, Maddux added, if the authors of this study had access to this information.

More information

There is more information on the effects of digital media on mood in the World Happiness Report.

SOURCES: Niklas Johannes, PhD, postdoctoral researcher, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, England; James Maddux, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Psychology and Principal Investigator, Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia; Scientific reports, January 6, 2022

Confession: I have finished a surprisingly low number of books since I finished high school.

It’s not that I don’t like books or struggle with understanding or anything like that. Instead, my particular brand of ADHD makes it hard to find the motivation to start and focus when I do, and I just don’t like holding books in my hands too much. Depending on their size, paperbacks and hard covers can be a bit cumbersome to handle, especially if you like one-handed reading like I did.

I’m happy to say that the 2021 edition of Kindle Paperwhite is almost perfect for people who would like to read more if not for all the boring little things about reading. The ad-supported $ 140 model (which I used for this review) and the ad-free $ 190 Signature Edition feature larger 6.8 inch screens that look fantastic in any light. , with weeks of battery life and the perfect form factor for lazy one-handed readers like me.

Even with a few price and performance issues, Amazon’s latest Kindle can, uh, rekindle your reading interest.

Better than books

In its first Paperwhite update since 2018, Amazon didn’t stray too far from its previous efforts. The cheaper Paperwhite and Signature Edition have nearly identical specifications:

• 6.8-inch screen with 17 LEDs and 300 ppi (instead of 6 inches on the 2018 model).

• New USB-C charging port with up to 10 hours of battery life on a full charge.

• Signature Edition supports Qi wireless charging.

• 8 GB of storage on the $ 140 model, 32 GB on the Signature Edition.

• IPx8 waterproof rating, can be fully submerged.

Amazon has managed to increase the screen size by almost an inch without making huge weight sacrifices. At 205g (208g in the Signature Edition), it’s only slightly heavier than the 182g model from three years ago, possibly due to the considerably thinner edges around the screen.

SEE ALSO: If your kid needs a new laptop, here are your best options

As I mentioned before, one of the reasons I don’t read as often as I should is because I’m lazy and prefer to lounge around with a free hand. Some real pounds just don’t fit this lifestyle due to their size and weight distribution. This Kindle Paperwhite is only heavy enough not to feel cheap and fragile, without being a hindrance to the one-handed readers among us.

This is a fully tactile Kindle, with no buttons to turn the pages. A simple touch or swipe does the trick. Tap the top of the screen while reading to bring up a quick toolbar with options to return to the Home screen, change font sizes and styles, and enable a simple page-turn animation. By swiping from the top to the bottom, another menu allows you to turn on Bluetooth for listening to Audible audiobooks, adjust the brightness and warmth of the screen, and turn dark mode on or off.

You can adjust the heat of the screen to make it more comfortable to watch in different settings.
Credit: molly flores / mashable

Highlighting passages, searching for word definitions and bookmarking pages are also present. However, all of these cool features are secondary to reading books, and the excellent Paperwhite display makes it a delight.

Text is crisp even when you hold the device against your face. The anti-glare screen is immensely readable and pleasing to the eye in all kinds of lighting. I read the winding epic of Frank Herbert Dune (what can I say, I have sandworm fever) on the new Paperwhite both outdoors under the bright sun and indoors at night with the lights off. In both scenarios, it was as comfortable as reading an actual page with a light on on it. Even at high brightness, the screen didn’t hurt my eyes either. You can really take the new Paperwhite with you all over and happy reading.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the small but important addition of a USB-C charging port. As we move further and further into a USB-C world, this is a godsend and was likely overdue, considering the 2018 model did not have it. It’s at the bottom of the device next to the power button, which is the only button you’ll find here.

It goes without saying at this point that I liked everything about the physical design of the new Kindle Paperwhite. It’s an ideal e-reader for me once you have a book ready to be displayed on the screen. Unfortunately, getting to this point can be a bit awkward.

Slow and above all regular

Amazon has no intention of making powerful iPad-level tablets with the Kindle Paperwhite line. You use these devices to read or listen to books, and that’s it. Amazon has promised better overall performance and responsiveness with the latest Paperwhite, and while my experience with this one has been generally good, I have encountered some technical flaws.

Just navigating the Kindle’s simple menus is sometimes more of a chore than it should be because this screen was only designed to display fixed text. Scrolling up and down through lists of books or settings is responsive and slow rather than smooth, as you’d expect from almost any other touchscreen device in 2021. It’s responsive enough that you can accomplish anything. you’re trying to accomplish, whether it’s looking for a new book or changing the screen brightness, without much of a hassle. But you won’t have much fun doing it.

USB-C is always welcome.
Credit: molly flores / mashable

I fully understand that Amazon is designing these Kindle to be very well to read books at the expense of doing, well, anything else. The huge form factor and premium display outweigh these little performance hurdles for me because, again, I don’t expect an iPad or even a Fire HD tablet here. Even with those low expectations in mind, however, he still feels a little late.

It doesn’t help that on one occasion the Paperwhite froze and became completely unresponsive in the middle of reading Dune. I waited several minutes for it to unlock and that did not happen. Holding the power button down for about 40 seconds reset the device and I was able to resume playing after that, but still thought it should be noted.

Aside from this abnormal freeze, performance on the Kindle Paperwhite was at least consistently at this level a bit too slow in my time. I respect consistency because at least I know what to expect.

A final aspect of performance to note is battery life. Amazon rates the new Kindle Paperwhite up to 10 weeks battery charge on a full charge. I have only had the device for a little less than a week, so it was not possible for me to fully verify it. With that in mind, however, the battery drained barely about 10% during that time. Maybe you won’t get 10 weeks out of it if you read for hours on end every day, but it will last a very long time no matter how you shake it.

Big jump to get rid of ads

I can learn to live with the slow performance of the Kindle Paperwhite and even the weird locking every now and then. Everything else about the actual use of the device is for the most part excellent and actually got me, a person with severe attention span issues, to sit down on purpose to read a sci-fi sci-fi screed. dense on religion and feudalism. The only thing that makes me think twice before recommending it to people is the price.

At $ 140, I think the standard 2021 Kindle Paperwhite might be a bit overpriced, but avid readers will get their money’s worth. It’s the Signature Edition, which offers an additional $ 50 for the privilege of not seeing ads, getting additional storage, and being able to have the Kindle automatically adjust the brightness based on the light level. in the room that bothers me. Tying storage and bonus features to a price hike is standard fare in tech, but the advertising is just sticky. Isn’t Amazon already making enough money?

The good news is, these aren’t your only Kindle options. The entry-level Kindle currently costs $ 90 and will likely do the trick if all you want is a competent e-reader. If you can afford to pay extra for the Paperwhite, you won’t regret it. The massive battery of this little book tablet, its beautiful and versatile display, and maximum hand comfort made me enjoy reading more in the few days I spent with it than many years before.

And if you are so severe Dune– stacked like I am right now, much better than lugging around a huge book.

Explore related content:

In America people read less. According to a Pew Research Center survey, about a quarter of American adults (23%) say they have not read a book in whole or in part in the past year, whether in print, electronic or audio form. So why are people reading less in 2021? You would think that with the pandemic people are reading more, but they are not.

According to the survey, several demographic traits are linked to not reading books. For example, adults with a high school diploma or less are much more likely than those with a bachelor’s or graduate degree to report not having read any books in any format during their lifetime. the previous year (39% versus 11%). The least educated adults are also among the least likely to own smartphones, an increasingly common way for adults to read e-books.

In addition, adults with an annual household income of less than $ 30,000 are more likely than those living in households earning $ 75,000 or more per year not to read books (31% versus 15%). Hispanic adults (38%) are more likely than black (25%) or white (20%) adults to report not having read a book in the past 12 months.

Although the differences are less pronounced, non-book readers also vary by age and type of community. Americans 50 and older, for example, are more likely than their younger counterparts not to read books. There is no statistically significant difference by sex.

The proportion of Americans who say they have not read any books in the past 12 months has fluctuated over the years the Center has studied it. The 23% of adults who currently report not having read a book in the past year is identical to the proportion who said so in 2014.

The same demographics that characterize non-book readers also often apply to those who have never been to a library. In a 2016 survey, the Center found that Hispanic adults, the elderly, people living in households earning less than $ 30,000, and those who have a high school diploma or have not graduated from high school. high school students were among the most likely to report in this survey that they had ever been to a public library.

via Pew Research

Michael Kozlowski has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for twelve years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post, and The New York Times. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

About a quarter of Americans don’t read books, according to Pew Research Center. Several factors seem correlate with low reading time, including household income and gender (men are most likely not to have read a book in the past year). The US Time Use Survey conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that most Americans spend slightly more 15 minutes of reading per day something for personal enjoyment. But reading should not just be seen as a pleasure or a luxury. Research has found that reading has real mental and physical benefits. A study of the National Library of Medicine shows that reading increase their ability to empathize. Further research on Neurology.org shows that those who read regularly are less likely to develop plaque in the brain which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Those books gathering dust on your shelf shouldn’t just be for decoration: they’re tools for your overall well-being. But, we get it: in today’s society, it can be hard to find the time or motivation to sit down and read a book. More draws our attention in a dozen directions today than it did for our grandparents or great-grandparents. So, on the occasion of International Literacy Day, here are some tips to help you rediscover the pleasure of reading.

Credit: Grace Cary/Getty

1) Create a reading nook

One thing that could keep you from resuming reading could be the simple fact that you don’t have a comfortable, quiet place to do so. As with everything from sleeping to working from home, it’s hard to do anything if you don’t have a dedicated space. It’s especially difficult if other members of your household don’t recognize and respect it when you read. Create a reading nook. Get a really comfortable chair – try a recliner, as aligning your spine properly and raising your legs can encourage you to sit still for hours. Get a good reading lamp so you don’t strain your eyes to see the text. Add a comfortable pillow and blanket so you don’t have to get up to adjust the temperature if you’re cold.

Credit: Vladimir Vladimirov/Getty

2) Create a club

If you’re a social butterfly or a real extrovert, reading can be especially tricky because it’s a solitary activity. However, you can probably – like most extroverts – be motivated by the promise of social activity at the end of the task. So start a book club. You can expect to know that if you read, you can have a fun evening of wine, cheese, and books with friends and have an interesting conversation about reading. But, you can’t intervene in the conversation if you haven’t read it! Be sure to add members you’ll be looking forward to seeing and chatting about each week.

Source: Nastasic/Getty

3) Find books that will improve your life

If you’re a goal-oriented person who likes to consume information that will improve your life, then maybe reading is hard for you because you don’t like novels. We understand that. A novel about a sensual affair that involves BDSM doesn’t exactly enrich the mind. So maybe you need books that will change your life. You can check out psychology books that discuss how the mind works and help you develop new perspectives, new mindsets, and new psychological tools to tackle everything from your career goals to your mental health issues. . Knowing that when you’re done with those books your life could be better could really encourage you to read.

Credit: Grace Cary/Getty

4) Read the book a favorite movie was based on

Reading a book that a favorite TV show or movie is based on can be a lot of fun. And there are many today. It’s like working backwards. Some people have read all the books before seeing the movie, but if you’ve already seen the movie, that’s fine too. It can be fascinating to see how the source material differs from the movie or show. Sometimes you’ll find interesting elements of a character or scene that weren’t part of the screen rendering. These can give you a whole new way to view history. Then it can be fun to re-render the screen with this new understanding.

Source: MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images/Getty

5) Hide in a library

If you can’t convince your family or roommates to leave you alone while you read at home, you can always sneak into a library. Or maybe a bookstore. Do a bit of exploring and find a regular bookstore or library in your town where you can huddle in a corner for hours, non-stop. Turn off your phone (usually needed in libraries anyway). Being physically removed from your normal surroundings and surrounded by stacks of books and that good book smell can also get you mentally carried away. You’ll be amazed at how much you lose track of time reading in a corner of the library.

Credit: Grace Cary/Getty

6) Do just a little a day

For some, it’s hard to start a task if you’re overwhelmed by the end goal. So don’t worry about finishing the book. Don’t think of it as 300 pages. Just do 10 pages a day. Hey, you can start with five pages a day. Assign yourself what is reasonable for your schedule. Before you know it, reading time won’t be homework but actually the thing you look forward to. You to have to read when your other tasks are done. You might start to see that it’s very relaxing because when you read it means you’re not doing the dishes or answering emails.

Credit: Nancy Brown/Getty

7) Reading in the bath

For some, it’s about creating an environment where nothing can get in the way of your reading. If you’re a parent, you’ve probably learned this trick: when mom’s in the bath, no one can disturb her. There is an understanding in the house that this is your self-care time. And people usually understand that asking you to do something means asking you to get out of the tub, so they ask the parent who isn’t in the tub instead. Grab your book, get a nice little tub caddy to keep it dry, add a glass of wine and some candles, and soak in warm water and a good read.

Source: blackCAT/Getty

8) Pack your book

Your book can be your savior in stressful or even just plain boring situations. Keep it in your purse or backpack. You’ll start to notice all those times of your day that you’d like to escape into a book, like when you’re sitting in your dentist’s lobby, waiting for your visit. Or when you’re sitting in your child’s parking lot, waiting to pick them up. How about waiting for the laundry to be done? A book turns those seemingly time-wasting moments into pleasant escapes from reality. You may not find time to read at home, but you can probably find time to read outside your home.

With the growing popularity of eBooks, apps like Blinkist have made reading a lot easier, but could it come at a cost?

In recent years, e-books have become more and more popular. Kindle devices and iBooks apps have helped catalyze the growth of the digital reading format. E-books are frequently compared to physical books, with some preferring the former for its convenience and others the latter for its authentic experience.

With the introduction of audio books, electronic books then took on a more digital format with the introduction of audio books. The format was popularized by Amazon’s Audible service, which offered audiobooks as a monthly subscription. The audio experience was appealing because it appealed to people’s inability to sit for long, uninterrupted periods to read a book.

The Blinkist app adapts even more to our diminishing attention span.

Blinkist summarizes books into short snippets that can be read in just a few minutes, reducing reading hours. Users also have the option of listening to summaries on the go, combining their benefits with audio playback.

This review will provide an overview of how the app works and the pros and cons of playing through Blinkist.

How does Blinkist work?

Blinkist sums up long books into short summaries. These are then split into a few draggable pages called flashes. Essentially, each chapter is often summarized into a single Blink.

Human narrators provide audio playback, so listening to summaries through Blinkist is like an audiobook, although it can be done in much less time. While an audiobook can take hours to read, most flashes on the app can be listened to in about 15 minutes.

As a result, Blinkist promises to deliver “more knowledge in less time.” But is the claim valid?

How effective is Blinkist?

In our experience with the app, the flashes capture enough information from a book, providing value in just a few minutes.

As a result, you can get the key messages from the book without having to dive into the details. This allows you to read a few books at the same time as it would take to read a single one.

Also read: Can Social Media Apps Really Fight Racism Online?

Blinkist is also beneficial for people who want to read but haven’t found the time or made a habit. It’s much easier to get into the habit of reading 15 minutes a day than it is to go through an entire book all at once, which can seem daunting at times.

Another advantage of Blinkist is that readers don’t have to take notes as often with Blinks as they would with a regular book since the app provides a summary in the first place.

Best of all, Blinkist seamlessly combines reading and listening, allowing readers (or listeners) to select the format that works best for them at all times.

All of these are combined with benefits already present in eBooks like synced reading positions and notes, quick in-app search, and more.

What are its faults?

Despite Blinkist’s perks, it still comes under criticism for not fully capturing the message of the books.

The flashes miss points expressed in a book that could not be included in the summary. If an author thought that someone could sum up the value of their book in a fraction of the original size, then they would have written a much shorter book in the first place.

Plus, these summaries run through the author’s personality, so every book sounds the same.

It’s not just the personality, however; The flashes are based on the interpretation of the application editors. Their perspective may be different from yours, and you cannot capture the same key messages as if you had read the book directly.

On top of that, we often learn by repetition. The nature of Blinkist avoids this by only showing a summary of messages once. On the flip side, the books repeat the same key messages throughout the book, making it more likely that the information will stick with us.

How much does Blinkist cost?

Blinkist is free to download, allowing users to read a daily choice for free. However, to access Blinkist’s over 4,700 books, you will need a Blinkist Premium subscription. It will cost $ 60 per year, which is just over QAR 200.

Promo codes can be found online, often reducing the price by 20%. Blinkist is currently running a promotion to offer Premium at 40% off, making the subscription now just under 150 QAR.

Even at the full price, Blinkist is a steal. Most books cost around $ 10 to $ 15, whether it’s a paperback, e-book, or audiobook. At $ 60, Blinkist is the price of 4 books per year.

Surprisingly enough, Blinkist doesn’t pay authors when someone reads their books. This controversial decision is explained on the Blinkist site:

Also read: Do I have to declare if a photo is retouched? Norway thinks so

“Our Blinks are concise and convincing, but necessarily limited by their format. Think of them as a sturdy trailer for the books. The complete books offer a more in-depth discussion, rich examples, references, and explanations that Blinks cannot contain. That’s why we provide an easy way for customers to find, buy, and listen to the full audiobook on Blinkist.

Essentially, Blinkist claims to give writers exposure, comparing their Blinks to movie trailers. However, the language used on the home page is totally different: “Understand books and podcasts in 15 minutes”.

As expected, the authors are generally unhappy with Blinkist.

They feel their work is being ripped off because of loopholes, and some say seeing their work “summed up in just a few words is humiliating.” Others praised the platform for providing exposure to their books and making learning more accessible, with some authors even teaming up with the service to promote their books on launch day.

So, is Blinkist worth it?

The ability to read and listen to books in a single subscription is excellent. The exchange between the two is fluid, allowing us to read the beginning of a book, then listen to the end.

Blinkist also offers full audiobooks at a discounted rate if you want to delve deeper into a book.

If you are someone who already reads books frequently, then you are probably better off continuing to do so. However, if, like many of us, you’ve tried reading books but just couldn’t commit, we recommend giving Blinkist a try.

You can start by reading the Free Daily Pick. If you like the experience, you can start a free trial before paying for the service.

What do you think of Blinkist – and digital book summaries in general? Is a concise summary enough for you or do you prefer to read the entire book? Let us know in the comments.

Follow Doha News on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube