Relax with romance novels is Valentine s Day

As Valentine's Day approaches, romantic books have been found to be the most relaxing literary genre you can read. As modern life becomes increasingly hectic, the research from Sony shows that a romantic novel could be the perfect way to unwind and express your love this February.

The study, commissioned as the new ReaderTM from Sony hit stores, found that reading romance has the most relaxing effect on the brain compared to other book genres. Participants in the experiment read from a series of genres while their levels of relaxation, attention, emotional engagement and reading speed were tracked by monitoring cognitive brain activity, skin conductance and how fast they read each page. When reading the romantic genre, they were on average 40% more relaxed than they were with a thriller, which was found to be the least relaxing. So when you're feeling stressed or really need to wind down, reading a romantic novel isn't just a clich , it engages the areas of the brain that help you relax the most - great news for busy people preparing for Valentine's Day.

The study also found that how fast we read is affected by genre. When reading the romance genre, participants' reading speed increased at the points in the text that are most emotionally engaging. However, in the darker genres of thriller and horror, participants' reading slowed down when the text engaged them most.

The new ReaderTM from Sony is the perfect companion for those who want to really immerse themselves in the emotion of their books. Its snap cover and higher-resolution screen provide a natural reading experience that feels just like a real book, while its ability to store hundreds of different titles means it can cater for every possible genre and every mood. It's available in black, white or red, making it a great alternative Valentine's Day gift.

Jonathan Travers, Marketing Manager, Sony, said: The study shows how reading a romantic book can take you on a journey to a more relaxing, peaceful place - perfect for when you really need to wind down after a stressful day. This Valentine's Day, if you want to make a change from the usual chocolates or flowers, ReaderTM could be the perfect gift for the special person in your life.

For more information on the new Reader from Sony, please visit: www.sony.co.uk

Notes to editors

About the research:

The objective of the study was to determine the emotional experience of reading different genres. Attention, relaxation and emotional arousal were measured in the brain and body while reading to examine the nature of reader experience for four different genres.

There were a total of 40 participants (average age 37). Of these, 17 were female and 23 were male. Participants were paid for their time. Participants were selected based on the criteria of being able to easily read and enjoying reading.

The study was conducted at Mindlab International, Sussex Innovation Centre on the week of Monday 26th September 2013. Participants completed an informed consent form. A clean signal was obtained from the EEG and EDA equipment before beginning testing. Participants sat at a computer screen and read one genre for 12 minutes (or until completed). They answered self-report questions about that genre. They then did the same for the second genre. The genres were counterbalanced across participants to eliminate any order effects.

Electrical brain activity was measured using a Mindmedia Nexus 32 EEG system. Participants wore with a cap fitted with electrodes that measure changes in voltage caused by cognitive activity in the brain. The data output was in the form of a wave consisting of different frequencies. These different frequencies can be extracted from the wave and are associated with different cognitive states. In this study we measured relaxation and active attention in the brain using established metrics from cognitive and affective neuroscience.

Skin conductance or EDA (electrodermal activity) was measured also using a Mindmedia Nexus 32 System. Participants wore two electrodes attached to the fingers which measure changes in voltage caused by moisture on the skin. Higher levels of skin conductance correspond with higher levels of physiological arousal. In this study we used skin conductance as a measure of physiological emotional arousal.

Half the participants sat at an eye tracker to measure how long it took to read each page. These reading speed data were correlated with the emotional arousal data to determine whether people speed up or slow down when they are more emotionally aroused by the text.

A full copy of the research report is available on request.

* Previous Mindlab research on reading available on request.

LINK:	http://presscentre.sony.eu/content/detail.aspx?ReleaseID=9554&NewsArea...
	See more stories from sony

Most recent headlines