Reading is good for women’s health and empowerment

Che who reads does it on average for 79 minutes a day. Those who participate in a reading party, a silent book club or a Rest & Read holiday – that is, reading retreats lasting a few hours or weekends – do so because reading today is also cool. That is, attractive, modern and trendy: it is the reading coolnesswidespread especially among Gen Z. Those who cultivate reading ultimately find, rather than escape, a way to be present to themselves and to the world. And in the end he feels more focused and resilient, but also empathetic and regenerated on three fronts: mind, heart, relationships.

Reading makes us happy and independent

Research from the Economics department of Rome Tre-Cesmer (Centre for Studies on Markets and Industrial Relations) tells us this, designed with one purpose: measure the relationship between “reading and happiness”involving Italians over 14 on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of GeMS (Gruppo Editoriale Mauri Spagnol), and arriving at an unpredictable conclusion. «The dimensions of well-being involved go far beyond happiness» says Michela Addis, professor of Economics at that university who heads the research that will be presented at 11am on November 13th at the Braidense Library of Brera in Milan as part of BookCitythe event that spreads throughout the city (and includes, the November 14th, the awarding of the Eroine d’oggi literary prize by iO Donna).

«Reading helps reduce the gender gap because women who read, by enhancing cognitive and emotional resources, reach the same levels as men. Reading therefore works as a lever of empowerment and emancipation, because women feel more centered and capable of facing challenges” adds Addis.

However, spending time with a book in your hand is not just a source of pleasure but a true “cognitive gym”or a form of mental hygiene against the dispersion of attention induced by the use of social media, an opportunity that restores interior time and depth. «Today we need a sort of “digital diet” where reading becomes our breather and a daily gesture of self-care. That is to say a well-being practice like physical activity or mindfulness. Companies could also promote it with spaces dedicated to silence, libraries and internal reading groups, or simply half an hour a month to dedicate to a shared book. Some do. Zambon in Bresso, on the outskirts of Milan, has placed a beautiful library available to everyone in the center of its offices. More than large investments, we need to recognize that reading improves the quality of thought and the relational climate. It would be nice to have a world in which reading is among the company benefits” concludes Addis.

The Italy that reads is a woman

«The percentage of readers is often an index of the development of a population and for the Italian population Istat speaks of 40 percent» specifies Stefano Mauri, CEO of the Mauri Spagnol Group. «Italy would come after Spain as well as after the UK, Germany and France, where not by chance public policies in defense of reading, which began here when Dario Franceschini became Minister of Culturehave a long tradition. However, our market is superior to the Spanish one. It is therefore reasonable to assume that Istat did not consider those who use audiobooks and ebooks to be readers, so much so that in other research that figure exceeds 70 percent” concludes Mauri.

How do we choose what to read?

But how do you orient yourself in the sea of ​​titles today? According to GeMS research the compass continues to be the author’s name (68 percent of the answers), followed by word of mouth (47 percent). The press remains central in addressing readers: 34 percent put the ratings and reviews of critics and journalists among the three main reasons for choosing a book, ahead of social media and rankings. If getting information is always easier, finding opportunities to share your passion with others is equally easy.

From the now consolidated ones groups on BookTokto book clubs that act as travel agencies. One for all, Ladies Who Lit which transformed reading into a glamorous group experience by offering weekend from Sicily to the Caribbean who provide time only for themselves and their own TBR (to be read) list. Or i silent book club that anyone can organize once a month in a coffee shop or a place in your city (silentbook.club).

Read aloud or on vacation

Finally, there are also thefree workshops dedicated to reading aloud, like those proposed by the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. «We go with other actors to libraries in Lombardy to teach reading aloud, a practice that has had a great rediscovery in recent years” says Diana Manea, 46, actress and trainer of the Teatro Fuori Porta project. «In the theatre, however, we hold The Reading Gesture, which is a workshop in which you learn to manage anxiety and breathing because knowing how to read aloud helps you interpret the text better and above all makes you feel connected to others» concludes Manea.

In short, the book that isolates you is an outdated reality and reading (even in silence) with someone is the new frontier of well-being. This is confirmed by Gaia Lapasini and Giulia Buzzoni, two 27-year-old book influencers who have been active for years on YouTube and Instagram, and founders of viaggiocoilibri.ita space in which they offer reading retreats throughout Italy every month, 40 places already sold out in three hours. «These are events where a literary speed date is generally expectedthat is, you get to know each other quickly by talking about your readings, in which you comment on the book agreed upon before the retreat or chosen on the basis of a common theme, you go for walks in nature, you do activities proposed only if you want. If not, keep reading. The nice thing is that you find yourself among similar people and in a pleasant place» specifies Gaia.

As a gift, a literary retreat

There are those who choose the retreat as a graduation gift to give to a friend and those who choose it as a birthday surprise for their daughter. What often happens is magical: you fall in love with reading again. «It is the benefit of sociality because feeling part of a group is essential to encourage people to read. It’s true that Italians write much more than they read but our community is a very strong niche. Those who come to a retreat may not have picked up a book for years but afterwards they never stop following us in the reading groups we hold on social media. It’s beautiful” concludes Gaia.

And if in the beginning – that is thirty years ago – it was Oprah Winfrey who was the first to include a space dedicated to literature in her successful show, generating, the next day, unthinkable book sales, today talking about it, even among friends, is good, really good. It is an exercise in self-rediscovery and profound understanding of others, and then – on the bookmark – there is always space to write down the number of our new book friend.