Psychologist reveals why you should get reading over the summer

Improved vocabulary is not the only reason to read this summer – there are also psychological benefits.

Toni HetheringtonSMARTdaily editor

3 min read

December 7, 2021 - 5:43PM

News Corp Australia Network

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Losing yourself in a good story this summer could be the antidote you need to leave the stresses of 2021 behind and truly relax.

Tamara Cavenett, President at the Australian Psychological Society, says having a story unfold before us not only invokes happy memories of childhood but brings elements of anticipation, excitement and familiarity which provides comfort.

She says stories told in bite-sized chunks do this best.

“Serialised stories have an anticipatory excitement, which is a beautiful feeling, and can keep you hooked,” Cavenett says.

“You get a level of connection with the characters that you don’t get in a single story. They become like a friend and we find that comfortable. Right now we are looking for anything that is predictable and certain because we are living in an environment that is anything but that.”

Australian Psychological Society president Tamara Cavenett says serialised stories become like a friend. Picture: Supplied

Cavenett says reading a book series, which was common in our childhoods with parents reading to us, provides a connection between what we deem safe and what we see as predictable.

“The more uncertain the external world is, the more we need something comforting, familiar and predictable. I recommend people pick up a series – anything to help us all escape into something that is familiar, predictable and that they really love,” she says.

ESCAPISM

Harper Collins fiction publisher Anna Valdinger says serialisation is a powerful and classic tradition of storytelling which helps us escape in tough times.

“It’s nice to have the story unfold and just come to you. In a world of instant gratification, having a story told in short, snappy bite-sized instalments is nice to draw out the enjoyment,” she says.

“There is something comforting about escaping into a book when life is hard.”

Harper Collins recently published cosy crime novel The Dying Diplomats Club by author Matthew Benns after reading his murder serial Dangerous Liaisons in SMARTdaily during the height of the pandemic. The book continued the shenanigans of crime fighters Nick, La Contessa and their dog Baxter.

“Matthew writes with such verve and charm, and we thought it would be a fun experiment to see if we could convince people reading it to also read books,” Valdinger says. She adds the genre of cosy crime is on the rise thanks to releases including Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club.

“There is something comforting about cosy crime. It is still a mystery and a puzzle that is resolved at the end, which is comforting when times are difficult.”

Journalist Matthew Benns, right, is bringing back his popular characters from Dangerous Liaisons. Picture: Justin Lloyd

FOLLOW THE CLUES

Benns says positive feedback from readers convinced him to bring the characters back for a new summer story Death Between The Flags.

“I have received a lot of positive feedback from readers. The general consensus seems to be that they would love to follow Nick and La Contessa as they unravel the clues of a new mystery daily through the holidays,” he says.

Benns says the immediacy of his murder mysteries, which are written in real time, keeps readers intrigued.

“Worldwide there has been a huge interest in the escapism of cosy crime such as Only Murders in the Building. This builds on that trend by providing a quintessentially Australian daily series, written the day before it appears, that also hopefully gives readers a few laughs along the way,” he says.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Cavenett urges Aussies to take extra care of themselves these holidays.

“I am hearing a lot of people tell me they are burnt out, tired, exhausted and that this year has felt relentless. I recommend bringing childhood memories into adulthood from a time when things felt safer and the future felt more certain.”

She says discussing a good book will be a welcome distraction.

“It lets you connect with those you love and talk about anything that’s not Covid related.”