Cover not available

Article published In: Scientific Study of Literature
Vol. 12:1/2 (2022) ► pp.83–102

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

Readers during the Covid-19 pandemic

Reading choices, habits and emotional experiences

 | University of Oslo
 | University of Oslo
Published online: 28 November 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ssol.22005.kuk
Abstract
This study investigates reading literature during the Covid-19 pandemic in Norway. In three surveys conducted across 2020 (combined N = 489), readers were asked about their reading habits, motivations for reading and emotional states after reading. Our results showed that Norwegian readers read more during the pandemic. However, only a minority reported changing their reasons for reading and their reading habits because of the pandemic. For these readers, a feeling of safety and distraction from the ongoing pandemic seemed to be of higher importance. Readers overall experienced that reading allows them to achieve the emotional state they desire, indicating the role reading plays in emotion regulation during the pandemic. We compare these results across gender and age differences. We conclude that reading appears to work as a cultural strategy that helps coping with the pandemic situation.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Methods
    • 2.1Pandemic situation
    • 2.2Participants
    • 2.3Survey questions
    • 2.4Statistical analyses
    • 2.5Ethical considerations
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Part I: Combined sample
      • 3.1.1Do people read more or less during the pandemic?
      • 3.1.2What do people currently read?
      • 3.1.3What reading habits are prevalent?
      • 3.1.4Why do people read?
      • 3.1.5What do people feel after reading?
      • 3.1.6Does a pandemic-related change in reading have an effect on motivations to read and the emotional response to reading?
      • 3.1.7What are the motivations and emotional responses of readers who choose a book in order to feel in a certain way?
      • 3.1.8Do readers of different genres approach and respond differently to reading?
    • 3.2Part II: Results across the course of the pandemic
      • 3.2.1Does choice of genre change across the pandemic?
      • 3.2.2Do the reasons to read change across the pandemic?
      • 3.2.3Do people respond more emotionally to reading across the pandemic?
      • 3.2.4Do people experience a higher degree of achieving a desired effect from reading across the pandemic?
    • 3.3Part III: Groups of readers
      • 3.3.1Are there differences between male and female readers?
      • 3.3.2Are there age effects?
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Overview of results
    • 4.2Gender differences
    • 4.3Age differences
    • 4.4Literary genres
    • 4.5Strengths and limitations
    • 4.6Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
References (25)
References
Bekkhus, M., Von Soest, T., & Fredriksen, E. (2020). Adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic – Loneliness, friends, and social media. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening, 71, 492–501.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Billington, J. (2019). Reading and Mental Health. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bjureberg, J., Ljotsson, B., Tull, M. T., Hedman, E., Sahlin, H., Lundh, L. G., Bjarehed, J., DiLillo, D., Messman-Moore, T., Gumpert, C. H., & Gratz, K. L. (2016). Development and validation of a brief version of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale: The DERS-16. J Psychopathol Behav Assess, 38(2), 284–296. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ekman, P. (2016). What scientists who study emotion agree about. Perspect Psychol Sci, 11(1), 31–34. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fancourt, D., & Ali, H. (2019). Differential use of emotion regulation strategies when engaging in artistic creative activities amongst those with and without depression. Sci Rep, 9(1), 9897. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fong, K., Mullin, J. B., & Mar, R. A. (2013). What you read matters: The role of fiction genre in predicting interpersonal sensitivity. Psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts, 7(4), 370–376. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Garnefski, N., Rieffe, C., Jellesma, F., Terwogt, M. M., & Kraaij, V. (2007). Cognitive emotion regulation strategies and emotional problems in 9 – 11-year-old children: the development of an instrument. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 16(1), 1–9. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Grodal, T. (1999). Moving pictures: A new theory of film genres, feelings, and cognition. Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hess, A. (2020, 22.05.2020). The ‘Credibility Bookcase’ is the quarantine’s hottest accessory. The New York Times. [URL]
Hogan, P. C. (2011). Affective narratology. The emotional structure of stories. University of Nebraska Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Igartua, J.-J. (2010). Identification with characters and narrative persuasion through fictional feature films. 35(4), 347–373. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Iqbal, N. (2020, 26.04.2020). Show but don’t tell: why silent Zooms are golden for focusing the mind. The Guardian. [URL]
Kim, E. G., Padó, S., & Klinger, R. (2017). Prototypical emotion developments in literary genres. Digital Humanities 2017, Montreal, Canada.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mak, H. W., Fluharty, M., & Fancourt, D. (2021). Predictors and impact of arts engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic: Analyses of data from 19,384 Adults in the COVID-19 social study. Front Psychol, 121, 626263. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Maslej, M. M., Quinlan, J. A., & Mar, R. A. (2020). Aesthetic responses to the characters, plots, worlds, and style of stories. In M. Nadal, Vartanian, O. (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Empirical Aesthetics. Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Menninghaus, W., Wagner, V., Wassiliwizky, E., Schindler, I., Hanich, J., Jacobsen, T., & Koelsch, S. (2019). What are aesthetic emotions? Psychological Review, 126(2), 171–195. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mikkelsen, M. B., Tramm, G., & O’Toole, M. S. (2021). Age-group differences in instructed emotion regulation effectiveness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Aging, 36(8), 957–973. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Monroy-Fraustro, D., Maldonado-Castellanos, I., Aboites-Molina, M., Rodríguez, S., Sueiras, P., Altamirano-Bustamante, N. F., de Hoyos-Bermea, A., & Altamirano-Bustamante, M. M. (2021). Bibliotherapy as a non-pharmaceutical intervention to enhance mental health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods systematic review and bioethical meta-analysis. Front Public Health, 91, 629872. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nell, V. (1988). The psychology of reading for pleasure: Needs and gratifications. Reading Research Quarterly, 23(1), 6–50. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Neraal, A. (2021, 11.01.2021). Bokåret 2020: Oppsiktsvekkende tall. Bok365. [URL]
Norwegian Government (2021). Tidslinje: myndighetenes håndtering av koronasituasjonen. The Norwegian Government. Retrieved 21.12.21 from [URL]
Schiro, E. C. (2021). Norsk mediebarometer 2020. Statistisk Sentralbyrå. [URL]
Scrivner, C., Johnson, J. A., Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, J., & Clasen, M. (2021). Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pers Individ Dif, 1681, 110397. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue