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.
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
17/07/2025
Early Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate voted to cut federal funding for PBS and NPR in a bill that also included cuts for foreign aid. In a 51-48 vote, the act...
17/07/2025
GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilions across IBC2025 (12 15 September, RAI Amsterdam) feature a remarkable 34 companies, each providing unique, innovativ...
17/07/2025
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers today introduced its Content Provenance and Authenticity (CPA) in Media Study Group (S...
17/07/2025
NEW YORK Despite widespread concerns about a soft advertising market, NBCUniversal said it closed its 2025-26 upfront negotiation cycle with a record ad sales v...
17/07/2025
NEW YORK Television advertising remains an effective means to market and influence younger baby boomer and Generation X consumers approaching retirement age, ac...
17/07/2025
ALLENTOWN, Pa. & JERSEY CITY, N.J. Service Electric Cable TV and OpenVault have announced that the operator is deploying the OpenVault Proactive Network Manage...
17/07/2025
WASHINGTON Following up on his first major policy speech just two ago, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is promising to buck the usual summ...
17/07/2025
Luxembourg, 14 July 2025 - SES received the final regulatory approvals for the SES-Intelsat transaction, including the US Federal Communications Commission.
O...
17/07/2025
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2025 Emmy Awards Twenty-three Berklee alumni received nominations across categories in sound mixing, sound editing, and compositi...
16/07/2025
It's Emmy nominations day, and Sundance Institute storytellers are basking i...
16/07/2025
Spotify's podcast editorial team is always on the hunt for shows and episodes that spark conversation, push boundaries, and keep us coming back for more. As...
16/07/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
16/07/2025
Join us at IBC this September and take control of your content. Discover how we're bringing a new level of purpose and precision to the application of AI in...
16/07/2025
Warsaw - Poland, June 24, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has released its latest May All Screens Video Landscape...
16/07/2025
Bluey Tops Nielsen's Overall Streaming List with More Than 25 Billion Minutes Streamed from January through June 2025
Big June Vaults Squid Game into Top O...
16/07/2025
TV SIM, the SBT affiliate serving Esp rito Santo state in Brazil, has launched a transmitter upgrade initiative with the installation of a Rohde & Schwarz R&S T...
16/07/2025
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, is turning its vision to the future of automation with its demonstrations ...
16/07/2025
Ikegami announces a new addition to its UNICAM-XE product range with the introduction of the UHK-X700RF wireless portable camera: The new version has the same f...
16/07/2025
Today, Amazon Web Services added TwelveLabs as a new model provider to Amazon Bedrock, delivering what could be the most significant breakthrough in enterprise ...
16/07/2025
NEW YORK Streaming platforms continued to dominate TV viewing patterns in June, with data from Nielsen's 50th monthly report of The Gauge showing that strea...
16/07/2025
MAHWAH, NJ Ikegami has introduced the the UHK-X700RF wireless portable camera, a new addition to its UNICAM-XE product range with the same feature set, operatio...
16/07/2025
LONDON IBC2025 organizers said global attendees will have access to a new feature that will integrate Amsterdam's GVB public transport pass into the officia...
16/07/2025
July 16th, 2025
Tribeca Films to Release the Acclaimed LARPing Doc WE CAN BE HEROES by Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons, Alongside a Slate of Festival-Favori...
16/07/2025
Deltatre Acquires Endeavor Streaming in Major Streaming Industry Move The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025 By Brandon Costa, Direc...
16/07/2025
SVG Regional Sports Production Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch ...
16/07/2025
Wednesday 16 July 2025
Sky and ITV today announced an extension of their long-standing partnership, which will see ITV's content and services remain seamle...
16/07/2025
Sky Sports lifts the lid on Lions life with hilarious behind-the-scenes mockumentaryWednesday 16 July 2025
To view this content, please enable our use of cooki...
16/07/2025
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA Apple TV+ today earned a record-breaking 81 Emmy Award nominations across 14 hit Apple Original titles for this year's 77th Emmy Awa...
15/07/2025
Independent media outlets in Brazil and Colombia are invited to apply for a new programme aimed at strengthening the long-term resilience of journalism in the f...
15/07/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
15/07/2025
Spotify une fuerzas con DiDi, la app l der en servicios de movilidad, delivery y...
15/07/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/07/2025
L3Harris put its CORVUS-RAVEN counter-small UAS capability into the hands of soldiers at VANAHEIM, showcasing its ability to provide passive signal detect, enha...
15/07/2025
Netflix Viewing Up 13.5% vs. May, Represents 42% of Monthly Gain for Streaming
...
15/07/2025
SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALARU, India Sangeeta Chakraborty has been named chief revenue officer at Amagi, a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology pro...
15/07/2025
As part of its mandate, the Advanced Television Systems Committee the U.S. organization tasked with developing advanced broadcast TV standards promotes ATSC 3.0...
15/07/2025
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contributions, announces the launch of two innovative control panels Studi...
15/07/2025
Chris Kontopanos has joined leading high-quality microphone solutions manufacturer, DPA Microphones, as the company's new Regional Sales Manager for the Mid...
15/07/2025
Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-powered video automation, has launched a major platform upgrade built to simplify live and archival video editing f...
15/07/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will preview its latest innovations at IBC2025, Stand 7.B21. This year's showcase highlights how...
15/07/2025
IBC2025 is set to transform the onsite experience for its global attendees with the launch of a pioneering new feature: full integration of Amsterdam's GVB ...
15/07/2025
Music, sport and technology collided in spectacular fashion as ASB GlassFloor powered the debut of Beats N Buckets, Germany's first Basketball meets Hip-Ho...
15/07/2025
The Collectv, the Emmy award-winning broadcast solutions and workflows consultancy - and winner of Broadcast Tech's Team of the Year is delighted to announc...
15/07/2025
SipRadius, the expert in secure, low latency media transport, will showcase how broadcasters and media companies can take control of fragmented IP workflows at ...
15/07/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, today announced its strategic partnership with beIN ASIA PACIFIC, a leading multi-platform sports media...
15/07/2025
Company marks 15 years of innovation at the show
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, will return to IBC (Hall 1, Stand F83. RAI, Amster...
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. 
