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GETTING LOST IN A BOOKRANKS AS ONE OF THE TOPWAYS TO RELIEVE STRESS-AND THAI'S JUST ONEOF THE BENEFITS

By Stephanie Stephens

READ A GOOD BOOK LATELY?With so many devices competing for our attention thesedays-binge-watching our favorite shows on Netflixor Hulu, keeping up with Facebook and Instagram,playing games on our smartphones-taking the timeto devour an actual novel or biography during ourdown time seems downright anachronistic.

All is not lost, however. According to the PewResearch Center, in 2013, the "typical" American adultread five books, counting both print editions ande-books. (That's a median number, meaning half thepopulation read more than five books and half readless. Because a passionate few go through books likeKleenex, an average would be much higher.)

And in June 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics reported that reading was the second mostpopular leisure activity among American adults-although watching TV came in first by a huge margin.

Would it help to know that reading can reducestress levels and boost mood? According to a Universi-ty of Sussex study, diving into a book is a more powerfulstress-buster than walking, listening to music, or relax-ing with a cup of tea.

So before summer slips away, settle down with avolume that appeals to you-and don't feel guilty for aminute. Instead, consider these 10 compelling reasonsto crack a book during these lazy, crazy, hazy days.

22 esperanza summer 2015

1 INSTANT ESCAPEFor Barbara G. Meyer of Chicago,

reading has long been a way of gettingaway from whatever troubles her. As achild, she says, "reading filled the hoursand allowed me to escape the boredomand loneliness I felt."

A librarian for 20 years, Meyer readsup to three books a week, typicallyfiction.

"I read one and then grab the nextone," says Meyer, whose current gig ispsychic entertainer. "I read wheneverI'm idle for a while, and every nightbefore bed. It helps me relax enoughto sleep."

2 THE PAUSETHAT REFRESHES

Reading is an important part of SharonMailloux's "me time." A therapist inthe Alberta community of Peace River,Mailloux is a self-confessed bathtubreader.

"My husband may be reading inthe living room so I run a hot bathwhen I need to be somewhere else fora while," she says. "It's 'tub time,' andit's mine. Everybody needs to refreshand recharge, to have peace and soli-tude. Reading is all those things I needit to be."

One downside: She admits to drift-ing off now and then, which leads toreimbursing the library for a few water-logged volumes.

3 BRAIN FOODThe way our brains engage

while reading is different-more com-plex, more involved-than when wewatch TVor play computer games. Brainstructure can actually change: A dailyreading program conducted at CarnegieMellon University found that over six

months, the volume of white matter inthe brain's language area increased.

Sam'n Iqbal of McLean, Virginia,prefers the printed page over the boobtube as a way to de-stress.

"I have so many responsibilities,places I need to be and things I needto do. I am always rushing and racing,"the author and illustrator says. ''At theend of a typical day, if I have to choose

Clinical psychologist Eva Stubits,PhD, a clinical psychologist in Houston,specializes in stress management andanxiety. She says reading "can relaxpeople who are frazzled" because itallows them to focus on somethingother than their day-to-day problems.

"Plus, finding a pleasurable hobbyyou really enjoy brings positive feelingsinto your life," she adds.

"Everybody needs to refreshand recharge, to have peace and

solitude. READING IS ALL THOSETHINGS I NEED IT TO BE."

5 CALMINGINFLUENCE

Paul Corona, MD, author of the three-book set Healing the Mind and Body,notes that reading is an excellentremedy for worry and rumination.

"Reading takes you out of yourself,"he says. "It's good to be transported outof that thinking pattern by reading,even if it's only temporary."

When Lindsey Winsemius of GrandHaven, Michigan, gets too far inside herown head, she often can quiet her mindby filling it with a writer's words. Attimes, she admits, she finds it difficultto concentrate. But if she can engageherself in a good book, "I do find ithelpful ... mainly to take my mind awayfrom the negative thought spiral."

That oft-repeated bromide-"readingtakes you out of yourself"-may be theliteral truth. In a study using brainscans to track how reading affects neu-ral connectivity, researchers at EmoryUniversity found changes in networks

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between The Real Housewives on TVor a book, I choose the book."

Opening a book has "something socalming about it," Iqbal explains. "Thelights and movement from a screen donot calm my body the way turning pagesor folding page corners do, or sitting inpeace and quiet does-knowing no onewill be running in asking me to dosomething."

4 WELCOMEDISTRACTION

For Alina Adams, a writer in New YorkCity, reading is the only thing that helpsher endure getting on an airplane. Anervous flier, she finds it almost impos-sible to eat, sleep or stop worrying whenshe's in the air. So she lays in a supply of"airplane books."

"They make time pass faster andhelp you forget you are on an airplaneto begin with. These have to be bookscompelling enough to keep my attentionand make a 22-hour international flightfeel like a local hop," she explains.

"The lightsand movementfrom a screen do notCALM MY BODY THE

WAY TURNING PAGES DO

associated with physical sensation andmovement. This suggests that as weread, we place ourselves "in the body ofthe protagonist."

SOCIAL TEACHERNarrative fiction may sharp-

en the social skill of empathy-helpingyou better understand other people'sthoughts and feelings-according to a2009 study by Canadian researchers.

The study authors speculated thatour brains fire up in response to read-ing about social situations just asthey would in the actual setting, thusstrengthening all those neural con-nections. Alternately, we may actuallygain practical knowledge about how toconduct ourselves from how the fiction-al characters interact.

"Reading narratives, even thoseexplicitly labeled as fiction, is far froma meaningless leisure activity that endswhen one closes the cover of a book,"they conclude.

More recently, American research-ers linked greater empathy andsocialization to reading literary fictionspecifically-a Louise Erdrich novelrather than a John Grisham page-turner,say-because those kind of narrativestend to focus on characters' inner livesand relationships.

7 ~~:n~~~,~G;~~Tfictionalcharacter's experiences may influencethoughts and actions in your own life-a process called "experience-taking."

esperonzo summer 2015

"

In one study at Ohio State Univer-sity, reading about a university studentwho overcame obstacles in order to votemade the real-life students more likelyto vote in a presidential election laterthat week. In another, reading about acharacter who is revealed later in thestory to be of a different race or sexualorientation led to more acceptingattitudes and less stereotyping.

"Experience-taking can be a pow-erful way to change our behavior andthoughts in meaningful and beneficialways," reported study co-author LisaLibby, PhD.

8 !~~~~:n~:~;~n~~O;'HV'"inspiration for change.

In Britain, the National Health Ser-vice in 2013 approved a program calledBooks on Prescription for people withmoderate mental health challenges.This "bibliotherapy" approach-sort of"read one and call me in the morn-ing"-involves sending patients to thelocal library for a self-help title (suchas the cognitive behavioral handbooksMind Over Mood and The Feeling GoodHandbook) from a pre-selected list.

(An offshoot called Reading Well:Mood-boosting Books compiles up-lifting fiction, nonfiction and poetrytitles selected by readers and readinggroups.)

David Laurell, an editor in LosAngeles, likes inspirational titles witha feel-good quality. He also turns tobiographies or autobiographies "toabsorb insights from someone who has

left a mark on the world. We all borrowfrom people we admire."

Laurell says he usually has "a coupleofbooks going at the same time." He likesto revisit books from his past, bringing anew perspective to familiar material.

"As you grow, when you return toread something you brushed over pre-viously, now you can better understandso much more. And just like when youleave a movie, when you take a breakfrom a book, you realize you have adifferent feeling about the world andthe people around you."

9 SOCIAL LUBRICANT. Although reading is by nature

a solitary activity, discussing what youread with others appears to improvemood, enhance well-being, reduce feel-ings of isolation, and foster a sense ofcommunity. A 2010 study at the Uni-versity of Liverpool also found thatbook group participants grew in self-awareness and the ability to articulate"profound issues of being."

Two earlier British surveys also re-ported that "significant proportions" ofpeople in reading groups benefited fromthe social aspect and feelings of inclu-sion, as well as the simple opportunityto relax.E

Mailloux, the Alberta therapist, isan enthusiastic member of a book clubthat meets at the Peace River MunicipalLibrary.

"It's a place where 1 can mix fictionand real life, having meaningful discus-sions with people who've read what 1read," she says. "Youcan choose to speakor not. It 'gets you out there,' and out ofyour own head in a safe way.

"The relationships aren't always aboutyou and other club members-they'reabout you and the book's characters,"she adds.

10 REJUVENATION"I read fiction to awaken

my mind and get the creative juicesflowing each day,"says Saverio Mancina,a marketing and communications con-sultant based in Manhattan. "I set asideone hour each morning before breakfastto read a novel."

Mancina does plenty of other kindsof reading during the day-three news-papers, magazine articles, otherdocuments-but it's work, not relax-ation. To clear his mind, he sets asideanother 30 minutes to revisit his cur-rent novel.

"It rejuvenates my energy by slow-ing me down for a focused amount oftime and unplugging me from the day'sdemands," he says. eSTEPHANIE STEPHENS, A MULTIMEDIACONTENT SPECIALIST BASED IN CALIFORNIA,RUNS THE WOMEN'S HEALTH CHANNELMINQYOURBODY.TV.

RECOMMENDED READINGTHIS YEAR'S PICKSThe term "beach read" was invented for the kind of bookthat provides a dose of entertainment on a lazy summer'sday, Here are the TOPPICKSFOR2015 from the AmericanLibrary Association's Reference and User ServicesAssociation (RUSA)in the following genres:

ADRENALINE:Broken Monsters, by Lauren Beukes.

FANTASY:The Goblin Emperor, by Kathertne Addison.

HISTORICAL FICTION:Bitter Greens, by Kate Forsyth.

HORROR:TheLesser Dead, by Christopher Buehlman.

MYSTERY:Murder at the Brightwell, by Ashley Weaver.

ROMANCE:A Bollywood Affair, by Sonali Dev.

SCIENCE FICTION:TheMartian, by Andy Weir.

WOMEN'S FICTION:My Real Children, by Jo Walton.

CLASSICSOn the other hand, you might be inclined to use your downtime to check off some of the classic novels you never gotaround to. Here are "14 BOOKSYOUREALLYSHOULDHAVEREADBYNOW" from Reader's Digest:

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

On the Road, by Jack Kerouac.

Tell Me a Riddle, by Tillie Olsen.

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens.

All Quiet on the Western Front,by Erich Maria Remarque.

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,by Carson McCullers.

Native Son, by Richard Wright.

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.

A Good Man is Hard to Find,by Flannery O'Connor.

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger.

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis.