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misanthrope

(9,212 posts) Wed Oct 1, 2025, 05:22 PM Wednesday

106

Only 16 percent of Americans read for personal interest or pleasure [View all]

This study includes any reading done outside of work. That includes news, magazines, e-readers and even audio books. Reading is a vital tool for mental health, problem solving, rational thought and developing empathy.

A recent study from the United States shows the daily reading for pleasure rate in the country has declined by more than 40% over the last 20 years.

SNIP

Previous research has linked leisurely reading with benefits to mental health and less psychological distress. One study also found reading can help develop resilience and a positive outlook on life in older people.

“Reading has historically been a low-barrier, high-impact way to engage creatively and improve quality of life,” says Sonke. “When we lose one of the simplest tools in our public health toolkit, it’s a serious loss.”

https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/social-sciences/reading-rates-decline-us/

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Only 16 percent of Americans read for personal interest or pleasure [View all] misanthrope Wednesday OP

Scary! I'm doing my part reading 2-3 books / day SheltieLover Wednesday #1

I don't quite read that fast, but Bettie Wednesday #16

I've pretty much run out of cozy mystery authors SheltieLover Wednesday #17

I sometimes reread favorites from my younger days... Harker Wednesday #27

I do as well! SheltieLover Wednesday #35

Well put! Harker Wednesday #52

Fabulous! SheltieLover Wednesday #55

Changed my life for the better to embrace and integrate the masculine, feminine, and lupine elements of my nature! Harker Wednesday #65

Ooooh I'll have to give it a try. Sounds Jungian. SheltieLover Wednesday #77

He was a curious blend of old fashioned and newfangled. Harker Wednesday #90

My library doesn't have an e copy SheltieLover Wednesday #116

Not only yea but, you knew it, HELL yea. nt Prairie_Seagull Wednesday #105

Who are your favorite cozy mystery authors? Ilsa Wednesday #48

David Rosenfelt, Carl Hiaason, Lilian Jackson Braun, Shirley Rousseau Murphy SheltieLover Wednesday #58

I don't have any yet. I'm currently reading a physical Ilsa Wednesday #91

Sounds interesting. SheltieLover Wednesday #92

Thank you for your list. I'm bookmarking it. nt Ilsa Wednesday #94

All but Hiaason's involve cats or dogs (Rosenfelt)! SheltieLover Wednesday #95

Susan Conant has some fun cozy mysteries with dogs! imaginary girl Wednesday #96

Ty sooo much! SheltieLover Wednesday #98

You're welcome! I hope you like them! imaginary girl Wednesday #107

Hiaason's books are great DeeDeeNY Thursday #128

Thx! I'll check out his work. SheltieLover Thursday #129

He started writing in the 50's DeeDeeNY Thursday #132

Miranda James is another with a cat SheltieLover Wednesday #97

Rita Mae Brown yet another SheltieLover Wednesday #100

These sound like wonderful, lighthearted Ilsa Thursday #120

Yes, they are! SheltieLover Thursday #121

Ellery Adams & Fern Michaels, too SheltieLover Wednesday #60

I am almost finished the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves. terip64 Wednesday #51

Ah, the stories with Jimmy Perez? Pinback Wednesday #110

I think she also wrote the Vera series... róisín_dubh Thursday #122

Me too! Dancingdem Wednesday #80

I love Cozy Mysteries SheLiberal Wednesday #85

I agree! Cozies are like taking a vaca. SheltieLover Wednesday #86

I have enjoyed Elizabeth Peters SheLiberal Wednesday #104

Ty so much! SheltieLover Wednesday #117

A lot of my favorite cozy authors have died. So I'm in the same boat. raccoon Thursday #124

Surely there must be some you haven't read? SheltieLover Thursday #126

I've read chet & bernie. that other one I haven't. raccoon Thursday #130

Diane Kelly is one of my favs! SheltieLover Thursday #131

Amazon Kindle has an endless supply of cozies. marybourg Thursday #140

Thanks, Mary! I don't have any cable, streaming, or SheltieLover Thursday #145

I want to be you when I grow up! HeartsCanHope Wednesday #26

Yes, I guess... SheltieLover Wednesday #72

Awesome! ancianita Wednesday #56

2-3 per day? Polybius Wednesday #69

No. I'm not reading heavy material. SheltieLover Wednesday #75

I definitely do not read that fast, but I do read about 12 to 14 books per year, lots of articles, art books, etc. Escurumbele Wednesday #82

Oh wow..im reading a book a month..fiction BlueWaveNeverEnd Wednesday #115

Whatever works for you. I don't have a lot else to do. SheltieLover Thursday #148

That's weak...I read 7-8 books per day radicalleft Thursday #147

It's not a contest, but good for you! SheltieLover Thursday #149

Soon there will be more writers than readers. Not sure who they think will buy their books. ./nt bucolic_frolic Wednesday #2

A lot of people don't have time to read much. Elessar Zappa Wednesday #3

But I wonder if many of them don't find time to sit in front of the T.V. erronis Wednesday #29

Precisely! SheltieLover Wednesday #64

What? Do you mean reading netflix subtitles doesn't count? thought crime Saturday #152

Nope. That aint it. NoRethugFriends Wednesday #57

There is time, people just choose the TV over books now. "Back to School" with Rodney Dangerfield had a Escurumbele Wednesday #87

Yeah. No shit. RockRaven Wednesday #4

"Smart people don't like me." Kid Berwyn Wednesday #5

It's why he loves the uneducated, they're easier to con SheltieLover Wednesday #18

Neil Postman long ago predicted the decline in reading in the US dedl67 Wednesday #6

Here's an irony misanthrope Wednesday #7

Yes, and a typical printed news article contains much more information than can be spoken in a radio or TV broadcast dedl67 Wednesday #13

Ask your friends, acquaintances, even relatives to read something out loud -- you may be shocked at the result. eppur_se_muova Wednesday #14

I was horrified the 1st day of kindergarten when teacher announced SheltieLover Wednesday #20

Me too and all 3 of my boys read before kindergarten too. Diamond_Dog Wednesday #43

I found an at home flash card program for younger daughter SheltieLover Wednesday #70

Flash cards work great for reading, and math, too! Diamond_Dog Thursday #136

I started learning to read when I was two misanthrope Wednesday #76

I can relate. SheltieLover Wednesday #79

But it's not any type of reading which helps JI7 Wednesday #8

The novel invented free indirect discourse Prairie Gates Wednesday #28

True. But all kinds of reading improve the intellect. Studies show that one can increase their IQ by reading alone. ancianita Wednesday #66

I am forced ForgedCrank Wednesday #9

Have you had cataract surgery? unc70 Wednesday #54

Well, I ForgedCrank Thursday #139

Age related farsightedness also caused me to lose the habit of reading books. Midwestern Democrat Thursday #123

I've just ForgedCrank Thursday #141

Explains a lot of what went so wrong in America. sinkingfeeling Wednesday #10

My wife and I spent 8 days kacekwl Wednesday #11

I believe it! QueerDuck Wednesday #12

I've known I am in a reading minority since I was in second grade or so. Aristus Wednesday #15

Same here! SheltieLover Wednesday #21

Me too Aristus. Diamond_Dog Thursday #137

My fourth grade teacher had a program during which, for the last half hour of the school day, Aristus Thursday #142

Reading well-written articles online also counts as reading synni Wednesday #19

I read a lot but in the format of the internet instead of print. & longer pieces as directed to UTUSN Wednesday #22

Couldn't be more obvious. N/T Tom Dyer Wednesday #23

My goal in retirement is to read all the stuff I never got around to. I will never make it. Midnight Writer Wednesday #24

Our local bookstore is thriving Prairie Gates Wednesday #25

Reading is what I do when many people would be watching television. hunter Wednesday #30

Right... Trueblue Texan Wednesday #41

People consume lots of "chewing gum for the eyes". . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Wednesday #31

I am part of that percentage Tree Lady Wednesday #32

I read several books a week. I am a very fast reader. Raftergirl Wednesday #33

Pitiful. Literacy is the foundation of civilization. They have no excuse. ancianita Wednesday #34

Reading is very difficult for some people...I don't judge them. Trueblue Texan Wednesday #44

I completely understood that as a former teacher of reading. But the numbers should be reversed to reflect that reality ancianita Wednesday #50

I agree... Trueblue Texan Thursday #133

Cool. Well then, you'd also likely agree that those unable to read for good reasons should not ancianita Thursday #146

Preaching to the choir here Trueblue Texan Thursday #151

I have a very short attention span BigmanPigman Wednesday #36

Tragic berniesandersmittens Wednesday #37

Child of an acquaintance said "Reading is boring!" biophile Wednesday #38

I would be curious to see the raw data Tetrachloride Wednesday #39

I love to read...I also like audiobooks. I like mysteries, fiction mostly. Demsrule86 Wednesday #40

Hey, how have you been? Polybius Wednesday #71

I've been reading for DiverDave Wednesday #42

My son and i were talking about rowling the other day bedazzled Wednesday #93

Reading well written books on history was my passion Keepthesoulalive Wednesday #45

I'm not surprised. Bristlecone Wednesday #46

We read a LOT AverageOldGuy Wednesday #47

I volunteer at a food shelf mgardener Wednesday #49

I admit I don't read as much as I used to ! kimbutgar Wednesday #53

I honestly cannot imagine my life without books Skittles Wednesday #59

I agree wholeheartedly! llmart Wednesday #111

certain books I will read during daytime hours Skittles Wednesday #113

Great! llmart Thursday #127

Most of my reading goes into researching for my job. Gore1FL Wednesday #61

I wish there was a better breakdown of reading for the poll sakabatou Wednesday #62

The Bobbsey Twins were my first -- BarbD Wednesday #63

I used to be a voracious reader. Xavier Breath Wednesday #67

All of my "leisure" time is reading, as is much of my work day. NNadir Wednesday #68

Does DU count as reading? Polybius Wednesday #73

Lack of Language skills nurtured by new media 2na fisherman Wednesday #74

My book club reads a book a month on average. I usually read extra books because a month is too long. live love laugh Wednesday #78

Would like to see age breakdown of the16 percent. Sneederbunk Wednesday #81

I finally slogged through "Les Miserables", all 1,222 pages of it HuskiesHowls Wednesday #83

I learned how to read when I was 4. I'm still a heavy reader and I feel sorry fot non readers. Ping Tung Wednesday #84

that's scandalous barbtries Wednesday #88

Listen to audiobooks 3 plus hours a day exboyfil Wednesday #89

That explains a lot. nt mcar Wednesday #99

yes Skittles Wednesday #114

I feel sorry for the 84% who don't read for pleasure, they don't know what they're missing. Dave Bowman Wednesday #101

I dont read as much as i used to but i still do. The Third Doctor Wednesday #102

Since I moved to Durham mnhtnbb Wednesday #103

If you like autobiography. Read Willie Nelson's Captain Zero Wednesday #106

I love to read. MIButterfly Wednesday #108

Our house looks like a library in places. Walls of books. Liberal In Texas Wednesday #109

Wow, that's depressing! Fairly avid reader.... electric_blue68 Wednesday #112

So many replies focusing on books misanthrope Wednesday #118

The rise in popularity of podcasts mnhtnbb Thursday #125

TL;DR LudwigPastorius Wednesday #119

That's our problem right there. yardwork Thursday #134

I must know them all! Seriously, though, I wonder how different that is then in past decades Iris Thursday #135

That explains a lot. We're in trouble, people. Joinfortmill Thursday #138

I guess I don't understand folks these days - reading is such a pleasure. lark Thursday #143

Well, when it literally hurts to try took read a book. OldBaldy1701E Thursday #144

this is frightening mike_c Thursday #150