Remember when curling up with a book felt like the height of luxury? A cup of tea, a warm blanket, and 300 pages of unadulterated escapism? These days, we’re more likely to be curled up with our phones, scrolling endlessly through Instagram reels, TikToks, or those oddly satisfying cake-cutting videos. The book sits untouched on the bedside table, silently judging us. And you know what? We still don’t pick it up.
Let’s just call it like it is: reading books isn’t bringing us the same joy it used to. And no, it’s not because we’ve all suddenly become uncultured or lazy, it’s because our phones are basically joy slot machines. Flashing lights, colours, sounds, notifications, and that sweet, sweet dopamine hit every time someone likes our post. How’s a humble paperback supposed to compete with that?
So, what’s really going on? Why have we, lovers of stories and beautiful prose, become loyal to the scroll?
Books vs Phones: The Battle for Your Brain
It’s not even a fair fight. On one side, we have books: elegant, thoughtful, rich with meaning. On the other? Phones: neon-lit dopamine dispensers that serve up endless stimulation like it’s an all-you-can-scroll buffet.
Let’s break this down properly.
Colour, Movement and Micro-Dopamine Hits
Books are black and white. Phones are a full-on sensory explosion.
Neuroscientists have long known that our brains are wired for novelty. We’re naturally drawn to new stimuli, especially when they’re colourful, fast-paced, and just a swipe away. Social media and app designers know this. They’ve built platforms that deliver quick hits of pleasure, dopamine, to be exact, every time we scroll, tap, or get a notification.
According to a study from the University of Copenhagen, this constant reward cycle makes it harder for us to engage with slower, more deliberate activities, like reading a book. In short, your brain is being trained to chase the next hit, not settle into a quiet story.
Meanwhile, poor old Dickens is over here saying, “But I’ve got depth!” Sorry Charles. There’s a dancing cat with sunglasses on TikTok and it’s only 13 seconds long
Instant Gratification vs Slow Burn
Reading a book is like dating someone with boundaries. It requires commitment, patience, and a willingness to delay gratification. Scrolling? It’s a one-night stand with sparkles. It gives you laughs, tears, recipes, drama, and conspiracy theories in the span of two minutes.
Dr Gloria Mark, author of Attention Span, explains that the average adult can now focus on a screen for just 47 seconds before switching tasks. Our attention spans are shrinking faster than a wool jumper in a hot wash. Books, with their long-form narratives and lack of shiny rewards, simply can’t keep up.
We're not impatient. We're just… digitally conditioned.
Our Brains Are Being Rewired
Here’s the slightly terrifying bit: we’ve actually rewired our brains.
It’s called neuroplasticity. The brain adapts to the way we use it. So when we spend hours consuming quick, bite-sized content, our brains become less capable of deep focus. That dreamy state where you lose yourself in a book? It’s harder to reach, not because books are boring, but because our neural pathways have been re-paved by the scroll.
Reading now feels like mental weight-lifting, and our brains are like, “Ugh. Can we not just do something easy and fun instead?”
Phones Are Literally Designed to Win
And finally, let’s be real: our phones are cheating.
Social media apps use behavioural psychology tricks to keep us hooked. Infinite scroll, push notifications, autoplay videos, it’s all been designed to keep you coming back for more. Books, bless them, aren’t built like that. They don’t vibrate when the plot thickens or ping when a character dies.
You have to choose to keep reading, and in today’s world of digital distraction, that’s a big ask.
My Story: From Bookworm to Scroll Queen (and Back Again)
When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for Monday to roll around. Why? Because that’s when I got to return all the books I’d devoured during the week and the weekend. I’d drop them into the return bin like a boss, then stride confidently to the sections I loved and pick out 20 more. Yes, 20. I was that book nerd. I lived for Enid Blyton’s mysteries. I’d disappear into those stories and resurface only for meals (and even then, begrudgingly). My mum was forever taking the books away so I would eat, a constant battle but she never stopped me because she was the same. She would read books in Punjabi which of course I couldn’t read.
As I got older, not much changed. Even at university, books were my comfort zone. When I wasn’t buried under two-page statistics equations or complex lecture notes, I was off escaping into fictional worlds. It was a beautiful balance, maths one minute, magic the next.
When I had kids, I passed that love of reading on. We read stories together from the moment they were born, had shelves full of picture books and paperbacks. It was something special we shared. But as technology crept in, and then sprinted ahead, everything changed. By the time they were in high school, it was all video games and screen time. I know one of them still reads, bless him, but it’s not the same.
And listen, I’m not claiming to be perfect. There are books on my shelf I was meant to read five, maybe even ten years ago. They sit there looking hopeful, and I think, “Soon, my loves… soon.” Life’s so busy that I’ve actually had to schedule reading time into my calendar. Because before I know it, it’s bedtime, and I’ve scrolled my night away.
On top of that, my vision hasn’t helped. Since being diagnosed with glaucoma, 15 years ago, I’ve struggled with smaller print, so I tend to use my Kindle where I can adjust the font size to something less squint-inducing. Honestly, it’s been a game changer.
I love to read. I just had to make space for it. And now, by consciously booking that time in, I’m slowly retraining my brain. I know that once the mental muscle rebuilds, I’ll fall back into my old love affair with books, and what a reunion that’ll be.
Joy, But Make It Mindful
Let’s not shame ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with loving your phone. It’s fun! It’s social! It’s a whole world in your pocket! But if your book pile is starting to resemble modern art and your attention span feels like a broken remote, maybe it’s time for a little balance.
Remember: books won’t give you a dopamine hit every 8 seconds, but they will give you something richer; perspective, empathy, and the satisfaction of finishing something that isn’t just a distraction.
So tonight, instead of scrolling until your thumb cramps, why not crack open a book? Even just a page. Even just a paragraph. Your brain might resist at first—it might throw a tantrum—but slowly, it’ll remember how good it feels to slow down.
You might just rediscover a joy that no phone can replicate.
Too Long; Didn’t Read
Your phone’s winning because it’s cheating. But books? They’re the real love story. Swipe less, read more. You’ve got this.
