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A novel way to improve health: new research shows how reading can support better mental health and wellbeing

New research led by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC) has set out how reading can be used to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Researchers wanted understand how reading for pleasure could impact health. They looked at already-published research on reading activities, focussing on the contexts and mechanisms that led to improved wellbeing.

The findings identify who reading interventions may appeal to and work for, and how – and offer recommendations for health and care professionals around how to support reading for better health.

Looking at life through a different lens

The research found that reading activities improved wellbeing in several key ways. These included: providing an escape from the daily stressors of life, offering a view of the world from a different perspective, supporting the development of new memories, and allowing readers to apply storylines to their own lives to see things in a new way.

The research also found that, for those who enjoyed social reading, joining a reading group led by a skilled facilitator can help people to connect their thoughts and feelings with the outside world, which then often leads to feeling more confident and more connected to others.

The researchers have offered three key recommendations for health practitioners and policy makers to consider when developing a reading offer to support wellbeing.

• Support guided reading groups in communities: Reading-for-pleasure activities work best when they are led by trained, supportive facilitators who create a safe and welcoming space for people to share and reflect.
• Use reading for pleasure to support wellbeing and social connection: Reading groups can help people feel more confident, relaxed, and connected to others, and should be included in wellbeing and loneliness-reduction programmes.
• Make reading enjoyable, flexible, and choice-based: Let people choose what they read and how they take part, so reading feels relatable and immersive rather than pressured or academic.

Read a plain language summary of the research

Read the full research paper

This study was part of a wider project called Reading for Wellbeing – a pilot initiative to explore how to improve mental health and wellbeing through increasing opportunities to read for pleasure. The project was initiated and financially supported by best-selling crime fiction author Ann Cleeves, in 2020.

The scheme was trialled across six local authorities in North East England and employed Community Reading Workers to support access to books and reading for targeted populations. The pilot was evaluated by the ARC North East and North Cumbria and was subsequently expanded to more areas in the North East region.

Find out more about Reading for Wellbeing.