Books
A woman reads a book at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Pasadena, California in this November 26, 2013 file photo. The bookseller said it would spin off its Nook tablets and college books business, sending its shares up about eight percent in early trading. Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

E-books are extremely popular nowadays especially for those with the latest gadgets such as tablets, e-Readers and smartphones. Yes, it is extremely convenient to read e-books because you don't have to lug around heavy books anymore. However, don't ignore good, old-fashioned books just yet. There are still a lot of reasons why books are more beneficial than e-books. Read on to learn more about the Top 5 reasons why reading a real book is better than perusing an e-book.

Real Simple reports that reading an actual book helps increase intelligence and can even help you relax as opposed to the e-books that are favoured by the technologically savvy people in this digital age. Below is a list of the benefits of reading books.

1. Reading Increases Intelligence And Boosts Brain Power -

Reading books help make people smarter. According to the 2003 University of California, Berkeley paper "Reading Can Make You Smarter," by Anne Cunningham and Keith Stanovich, children's books expose kids to 50 percent more words than prime time television, or adult speech, including conversations between college graduates, friends and spouses.

Aside from helping humans become smarter, reading helps increase brain power and improve memory function. However, Andrew Dillon's "Reading From Paper Versus Screens: A Critical Review Of The Empirical Literature," suggests that reading from a screen can slow you down by as much as 20-30 percent compared to reading from paper.

2. Reading Can Help People Relax And Sleep Better -

After a long and stressful day, a lot of people want to just wind down with a good book. In fact, a 2009 study about reading and stress levels from Sussex University researchers showed that reading can actually reduce stress by as much as 68%. Meanwhile, e-books that are read from tablets, smartphones or e-readers can affect one's quality of sleep in a bad way because it keeps you awake much longer.

According to the research paper titled "Evening Use Of Light-Emitting eReaders Negatively Affects Sleep, Circadian Timing, And Next-Morning Alertness," using light-emitting electronic devices for reading before bedtime delays the circadian clock, prolongs the time it takes to fall asleep and suppresses levels of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. It also reduces Rapid eye movement or "REM" sleep and delays its timing. Plus, alertness the following morning is also reduced just by using the aforementioned devices. The said study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or "PNAS" website.

3. Flipping Pages In A Book Can Help People Understand What They're Reading -

It looks like reading an actual book makes people comprehend and remember better, compared to e-books. The Business Insider reports that physical sensations, such as feeling the weight of the book and turning its pages actually help in remembering details about what was read as well as improve comprehension.

4. Reading Books Don't Require Using Batteries Or Electricity To Charge It -

While a book is much heavier than an e-book, the great thing about it is that it doesn't need batteries to function. It can be used without worrying about running out of power. Also, during power outages, you can still read a book for as long as you like, even if it's already dark. All you need is a candle to enable you to read better.

5. E-books Cannot Be Signed By Its Authors -

An exciting part of owning and reading an actual book is the possibility of having it signed by the author. Aside from making it a collector's item, it will also be an amazing gift to a friend or loved one who is a huge fan of that author. While there are digital signatures available for high tech devices, nothing beats the handwritten signature of an author using regular pen and ink.

These are the Top 5 reasons why reading a real book is better than perusing an e-book. Keep reading International Business Times for more updates about books, as well as other news about technology, entertainment, business, finance, science, economics and health

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