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How does reading fiction support wellbeing in older adulthood?
Nicola Currie and Sarah McGeown of the University of Edinburgh's Literacy Lab explore the impact of reading for pleasure on the wellbeing of older adults.
In recent years, increasing evidence has demonstrated a positive relationship between reading books and wellbeing. However, given the complex nature of wellbeing, and the diverse experiences readers have with books, it is important to speak with readers themselves, to learn about unique and shared reading experiences.
As part of the Reading and Wellbeing Project(this link will open in a new window), funded by the Leverhulme Trust, researchers from the Literacy Lab(this link will open in a new window) at the University of Edinburgh, alongside the Scottish Book Trust and National Literacy Trust, have sought to understand how reading fiction books can support wellbeing across the lifespan. Conducting in-depth interviews with children, young people, adults and older adults, the team explored three aspects of wellbeing: positive emotions, connection and personal growth. Here we share some of the key findings from a new paper that explores the perspectives of older adult readers(this link will open in a new window).
Positive emotions
Reading can support wellbeing in older adulthood by eliciting positive emotional experiences – for example, feelings of hope, nostalgia, comfort, relaxation, humour, escapism, admiration, gratitude and happiness. These emotions were evoked through the activity of reading, through both the book content and the prompting of personal memories.
…and the feelings that you get are just, I mean, so he’s so–, some of it is so funny, it’s laugh out loud funny.
…remembering the days when you really could chase down the deck and grab the ropes that were thrown [laughing]. Reminds you of happy times.
Positive emotional responses to reading fiction also extended beyond the activity of reading. For some older adults, being a reader was an important part of their identity, providing a positive sense of self and belonging.
Without books life would not be the same. I just could not do without books. 100%. 100%. It would be a… It would be like a life sentence to me.
Connection
Reading can offer social connection to fictional characters, settings, story events and/or authors, and to real-life others, for example, through talking about and sharing books. Indeed, older adult readers in the project often reported a deep sense of connection with characters and concern for their outcomes:
It was impossibly sad and you loved that kid [book character]. You just loved him, you know.
Further, many of the older adult readers also enjoyed discussing books with siblings, children, grandchildren and friends, to share similar and often different perspectives on books:
As far as connecting with other people, I think, it's quite nice to have a conversation with somebody else who's read the same book and just see what the-, you know, whether their views are same as yours.
Personal growth
Fiction reading can support readers’ understanding of the world, themselves and others, and offers opportunities for reflection on the emotional and moral content of narratives. During the interviews, older adult readers reflected on the enriching role of reading throughout their lives, often describing how reading had offered them valuable opportunities for introspection, helped them to process difficult emotions and in some cases had reshaped their narrative of past experiences:
But I think the quieter arena of reading is more likely to bring about change, or slow change. At least some self-questioning.
And you know it's always so powerful to hear other people talk about things that you've experienced and, you know, sometimes change your mind about what you've experienced.
In addition to improving vocabulary, communication and interpersonal skills, many of the older adult readers described how reading had helped to develop empathy and a richer understanding of the human experience:
So that's really the real core of reading. It gives you an understanding and an insight and maybe hopefully an empathy into those experiences that you, you were not gonna have yourself but help to be maybe, hopefully a better human being and more understanding human being.
Conclusion
Given the breadth of wellbeing benefits reading fiction can offer in older adulthood, we need to better understand how to extend these benefits of reading to older adults who may not currently read or face barriers to reading. To do so, we need to work with professionals who support older adults, to understand how best to introduce and support enriching reading activities during this period of life.
You can learn more about the Reading and Wellbeing project here(this link will open in a new window). The open-access paper related to this research can be found here(this link will open in a new window). If you work with older adults and would like to chat with us at Scottish Book Trust to explore how reading activities could support their wellbeing please do get in touch(this link will open in a new window).