In an article by Sarah Manavis in The Guardian from last year (5/5/24) there is a line that promises a magic solution to many modern-day ills. Want to take a guess at what it might be?

It guarantees I’ll sleep through the night, that I’ll wake up without being tired and that I’ll get to sleep at all…. My anxiety, which becomes extra ghoulish at bedtime, retreats entirely – as effective for my mental health as a run or yoga, if not better. [My partner and I] have both noticed we are generally calmer people in the middle of a long ——- stretch and especially notice the lack of serenity the days after we come out of one.

Ok, so we’re librarians and we are all about books, which means you’ve probably already guessed it has something to do with reading. But did you know that it’s specifically about reading aloud with someone? And you thought bedtime stories were just for kids! Find out more about what the article’s  author and her partner call “our terrible secret” by reading the full article here.

In a related nytimes.com article called A Simple Way to Build Intimacy (2/23/2024), children’s author Kate DiCamillo, who regularly encourages adults to read aloud to each other, says “It is an act of love to read to somebody….You feel cocooned, almost. It’s kind of like everybody puts down their defenses and you’re together in the story.”

It might seem like a no-brainer that the person being read to feels like they’re getting a  cozy hug, but Professor Usha Goswami, the founding director of the Centre for Neuroscience in Education at Cambridge University, cites recent neuroscience showing that shared activities are good for both parties. She says, “If two people are engaged in a joint activity – for example juggling, playing a duet, having a conversation – their brain waves line up. This brain alignment may be why we feel a greater connection.”

It’s worth a try, right? Check out your favorite book – a recent one or a childhood fav – and share it aloud, on a regular basis with someone close to you. Don’t know where to start? Ask your librarian for suggestions or start with some of the books and authors mentioned in the articles above – we’ve linked to them (including a few ebooks for easy access) in our catalog here.