I was reorganizing our living room last week when I noticed something. While there’s a tablet tucked somewhere in a drawer, our bookshelf is overflowing with dog-eared paperbacks, board books with chewed corners, and stacks of library finds.
Matt jokes that I’m old-fashioned, but honestly, I don’t mind that label one bit.
There’s something about holding an actual book that just hits different. The weight in your hands, the smell of the pages, even the satisfying feeling of making progress as you move through it. Screens just can’t replicate that experience.
And as it turns out, people who prefer reading physical books tend to share some pretty distinct traits. Not better or worse than anyone else, just different in how they approach reading, learning, and connecting with stories.
1) They have deeper focus and concentration
Here’s what I’ve noticed: when Ellie sits down with a book, she’s completely absorbed. No pings, no notifications, no temptation to swipe away to something else.
It’s not just my observation either.
Research shows that reading on paper encourages what experts call “deep reading.” The kind where you’re truly engaged with the material rather than just skimming the surface.
Physical book readers tend to have an easier time maintaining concentration because there’s literally nothing else competing for their attention. No tabs to switch between, no emails popping up, no social media beckoning from the corner of the screen.
It’s just you and the words.
2) They retain information better
Studies have consistently found that people comprehend and remember more when reading from paper compared to screens. The tactile experience of feeling the pages and seeing your progress through the book gives your brain extra context that helps cement the information in your memory.
There’s something about the physical act of reading that creates stronger neural pathways. Your brain doesn’t just process the words, it also processes where you are in the book, how the pages feel, and how far you’ve come.
It’s why I still print out recipes I really want to remember, even though it would be easier to just prop my phone against the fruit bowl.
3) They practice patience in a fast-paced world
Physical books demand something from us that screens don’t: patience.
You can’t scroll quickly through a book the way you can skim a webpage. You can’t search for a specific word in seconds. You have to sit with the material, turn pages one at a time, and let the story unfold at its own pace.
And let’s face it, that’s become a bit of a rare skill today. After all, we live in a world where everything is optimized for speed. Quick takes, bite-sized content, instant answers.
People who still reach for physical books are comfortable with slowness. They’re okay letting something take time, whether that’s finishing a dense chapter or simply savoring a beautifully written paragraph.
It’s the same energy that has me choosing to bake bread from scratch on a Saturday morning when store-bought would be faster.
4) They build stronger spatial memory
Ever remember where something happened in a book by its location on the page? Like, “Oh, that scene was near the bottom of a left-hand page about halfway through”?
That’s spatial memory at work, and it’s something physical book readers develop naturally.
When you read a physical book, your brain creates a kind of mental map. You remember not just what you read, but where you read it. The feel of how far you’d progressed through the book, which side of the page it was on, maybe even what you were drinking when you read it.
Screens don’t offer those same spatial cues. Everything just scrolls endlessly, with no real sense of place or progress. According to neuroscience, this lack of mental mapping actually makes it harder to remember and understand what you’ve read.
I notice this with my own writing too. When I’m working on something important, I’ll often print it out because I can better sense the structure and flow when I can physically see and touch the pages.
5) They’re less prone to distraction
Let me paint you a picture: it’s quiet time after lunch, and I’m trying to read an article on my phone. Within five minutes, I’ve checked my email, responded to a text, and somehow ended up looking at photos from a farmers’ market I visited three years ago.
This is why I prefer physical books.
When you’re reading on a screen, you’re always just one swipe away from a dozen other things vying for your attention. Reading a physical book removes all those escape routes. There’s nowhere else to go, just the story in front of you.
People who gravitate toward physical books often appreciate this forced simplicity. They’re choosing an experience that’s intentionally limited, and in that limitation, they find freedom from the constant pull of digital distractions.
6) They value the sensory experience of reading
There’s something about the complete sensory package that comes with a physical book.
The weight of it in your hands. The particular smell of old pages or fresh ink. The sound of pages turning. The visual progress you can actually see as the bookmark moves through the book.
Research suggests we process information more effectively when we engage multiple senses during learning. Seeing the words, feeling the pages, even smelling the paper all contribute to how our brains absorb and retain what we read.
There’s a reason why so many readers describe their love of books in sensory terms. It’s not just nostalgia or sentimentality. Our bodies are deeply involved in the reading process, and physical books honor that involvement in a way screens simply don’t.
7) They’re more deliberate about their media consumption
Here’s something I’ve noticed about people who prefer physical books: they tend to be more intentional about what they consume.
Choosing a physical book requires commitment. You can’t endlessly browse through options the way you can with e-books. You have to pick something, commit to it, maybe even go to the library or bookstore to get it.
This deliberateness often extends to other areas of life too. Physical book readers are more likely to think carefully about their screen time, to be selective about what media they let into their lives, to choose quality over convenience.
It’s the same mindset that has me planning our meals for the week rather than just figuring it out on the fly. There’s value in being intentional, in choosing with purpose rather than just consuming whatever’s easiest in the moment.
Final thoughts
I’m not anti-technology. Our family uses screens for work, for learning, for the occasional cooking video when I’m trying something new in the kitchen.
But I am pro-balance, and I think physical books offer something we lose when everything moves to screens.
They slow us down in a good way. They engage our bodies and not just our minds. They teach patience and focus and the value of sitting with something instead of just skimming past it.
And maybe most importantly, they remind us that not everything needs to be upgraded or optimized or made more convenient. Sometimes the old way, the slower way, the more tactile way, is actually the better way.
So yes, our bookshelf is overflowing and probably always will be. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
