This overlooked lifestyle change could be hurting your brain

The benefits of reading for pleasure have been well-documented over the years. But, according to a newly released study, the number of people who partake in the pastime has plummeted and disparities racial disparities when it comes to rates of reading have deepened.

The study, which was published recently in iScience, examined cross-sectional data from 236,270 Americans collected over a 20 year span, from January 2003 to December 2023 (excluding 2020, as data collection was paused due to the pandemic). The research included analyzing surveys from those 15 and older about their daily habits.

Researchers found that reading rates are way down, but not for everyone. Those who read for pleasure are doing so for longer intervals. At the start of the data collection in 20023, leisure readers read for an hour and 23 minutes per day. In 2023, that figure was up to an hour and 37 minutes. However, overall, the percentage of those who read for pleasure has seen a steep decline. Researchers concluded that activity has steadily dropped by about 3% per year over the course of the data collection.

Plainly, less Americans are reading for pleasure now than they were 20 years ago. In fact, it dropped by 40%. In 2004, the number of leisure reading was at a high of 28%. Two years ago, in 2023, that figure was down to just 16%. The study’s authors say that sharp decline is cause for concern. 

“This decline is concerning given earlier evidence for downward trends in reading for pleasure from the 1940s through to the start of our study in 2003, suggesting at least 80 years of continued decline in reading for pleasure,” researchers wrote in the study.

Perhaps more concerning, however, was the worsening disparity between Black and white Americans when it came to time spent reading for pleasure. In 2002, when leisure reading peaked for white adults, the percentage of those who partook in the activity was 29%. In 2023, it was down to 18%. Black adults who read for pleasure also peaked in 2004 at about 20%. But by 2023, the figure has dropped to just 9%. Therefore, Black respondents had a 49% lower prevalence of daily leisure reading than white respondents in 2023.

Researchers wrote that a number of studies have shown that declines in reading are often correlated with greater use in digital media. Researchers also noted that people spent more time reading at home, as opposed to a public place like a local library, which, aside from racial disparities clearly present in the research, also brings up questions about accessibility as a factor. The research comes as funding for public libraries was recently cut by Trump’s March 2025 executive order. 

“By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer,” an American Library Association (ALA) statement said at the time.

The study noted the recent findings represent an “urgent need” for greater accessibility and opportunities for reading “particularly among high-risk groups.”