Loneliness has become such a widespread problem that Silicon Valley billionaires are now highlighting it to market AI companions, with Mark Zuckerberg recently stating "the average American has fewer than three friends".
Authors
- Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian
Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Cambridge
- Christelle Langley
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Cambridge
This actually echoes what the World Health Organization has called a crisis of social isolation and loneliness. They report that around 25% of older adults are socially isolated and 5%-15% of adolescents are lonely. But a variety of research - including our own - suggests reading may be a much better solution than chatbots.
Human interaction is no doubt hugely important. In a study we published in 2023, we found that it only takes around five close friends for children and adolescents to thrive , giving them better brain structure, cognition, academic performance and mental health.
Having fewer than five close friends may not provide enough social contact. But larger numbers are less likely to be close friends. The dilemma of technology frequently means that despite some people having vast numbers of friends on social media, they are not close friends and so do not provide the social support needed.
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Similarly, chatbots may not provide the type of face-to-face social interaction that people need to flourish. During the pandemic lockdowns, a study found that face-to-face communication was far more beneficial for mental health than digital communication.
But how can reading help us to feel less lonely and have better wellbeing?
A recent survey from The Queen's Reading Room, the charity and book club of Queen Camilla, and other surveys, have found that reading fiction and other books significantly reduces feelings of loneliness and improves wellbeing .
Another charity, The Reader, conducted a survey of approximately 2,000 participants and found that this was especially true among young adults. Fifty-nine percent of those aged 18-34 said reading made them feel more connected to others and 56% felt less alone during the pandemic.
Another survey, in conjunction with the University of Liverpool, of over 4,000 participants found that reading offers powerful benefits, serving as a top method for reducing stress. In addition, participants reported that reading encouraged personal growth, such as improving health, picking up hobbies and boosting empathy, with 64% of readers having a better understanding others' feelings .
Reading and the brain
Indeed, scientific research looking at book clubs and shared reading back this up, finding notable emotional and social benefits of reading. For example, students reported greater connection (42.9%) to others, deeper understanding of others' experiences and beliefs (61.2%) and reduced loneliness (14.3%) as a result of reading.
The surveys above all rely on people reporting how they feel, rather than an objective measure. But there are also findings from objective measures of the brain, including neuroimaging. A systematic review of 11 intervention studies showed that shared reading among older adults improved wellbeing and helped alleviate loneliness and social isolation.
One way in which reading may help reduce loneliness is by enhancing our social cognition, which is the ability to understand and connect with others.
A neuroimaging study of young adults found that reading fiction, particularly passages with social content, activated areas of the brain involved in social behaviour and emotional understanding, such as the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. This brain region was also linked to the stronger social cognition seen in frequent fiction readers, suggesting a neural pathway through which reading fosters greater social connectedness.
Importantly, reading may also reduce the risk of dementia. One study of 469 people aged 75 and over, with no dementia at baseline, were followed up for 5.1 years. Among leisure activities such as playing board games, playing musical instruments and dancing, reading was associated with a 35% reduced risk of dementia .
A number of studies have similarly shown that engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, such as reading, can slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia .
Our own research also showed the benefits of reading for pleasure early in life. In a large sample of over 10,000 children in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study , we found that those children who read for pleasure early in life had better brain structure, cognition, academic achievement, longer sleep duration and better mental health - including lower symptoms of inattention, stress and depression - when adolescents. Importantly, they also had less screen time and better social interactions.
So, while AI and chatbots can enhance our lives in many ways, they are not a solution to everything. We know that while technology has many benefits, it has also produced many unforeseen problems. Let's solve problems of loneliness and social isolation through reading and book clubs. Reading is also a great way to improve brain structure, cognition and wellbeing.
We recently gave a talk about this topic for the British Neuroscience Association, in association with The Queen's Reading Room. We would like to thank the Queen's Reading Room CEO, Vicki Perrin for her input and support. Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian receives funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Lundbeck Foundation. Her research work is conducted within the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Mental Health and Neurodegeneration Themes. She consults for Cambridge Cognition.
We recently gave a talk about this topic for the British Neuroscience Association, in association with The Queen's Reading Room. We would like to thank the Queen's Reading Room CEO, Vicki Perrin for her input and support. Christelle Langley receives funding from the Wellcome Trust. Her research work is conducted within the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Mental Health and Neurodegeneration Themes.
