Does the Brain Like E-Books? - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

Writing and reading — from newspapers to novels, academic reports to gossip magazines — are migrating ever faster to digital screens, like laptops, Kindles and cellphones. Traditional book publishers are putting out “vooks,” which place videos in electronic text that can be read online or on an iPhone. Others are republishing old books in electronic form. And libraries, responding to demand, are offering more e-books for download.

Is there a difference in the way the brain takes in or absorbs information when it is presented electronically versus on paper? Does the reading experience change, from retention to comprehension, depending on the medium?


Interesting premise. I've always felt that the brain is stimulated in different ways from viewing something on a computer screen versus in printed form in a book. Reading in print form is a more absorbing experience, in my opinion. By absorbing I mean more engaging.