It is true that e-books are a god-send when you don’t want books to take up space in your luggage on your holiday. Besides, what can be cooler than walking around with 1,000 titles in that e-book device? Researchers have been examining the differences between reading regular books and e-books and their results suggest that the good old-fashioned book still is the way to go.

Missing out on important information

A recent study has shown that readers who use e-books are less competent in recalling plots and events compared to someone who read a paperback. E-book readers miss out on the tactile sense of progress through the flicking of pages. This somehow causes the reader to lose fixity and solidity and hence, the unfolding and progression of the story.

E-books take away sleep time

In an age where many people are glued to their devices, sleep seems to have lost its priority. The light emitted by e-books shine directly into the reader’s eyes and it suppresses melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep. That means that e-book readers are losing out on sleep which may have long term negative consequences on their health.

Screens mean stress

At work, people face computer screens. Constant communication via smartphones means facing screens all the time. The screen seems to be everywhere and the e-book adds on to this unrelenting force that brings about stress. Research has suggested that repeated use of the screen, particularly when it goes on late into the night, is linked to depression.

Reading the good old-fashioned paper back should never go out of style. The simplicity of holding on to a physical book and flipping through its pages will bring about the benefits of reading.