Search the study for "ink," this is discussed briefly. They produce less visual fatigue than regular screens because they reflect ambient light rather than relying entirely on being backlit.
In terms of comprehension the hierarchy probably goes paper > e-ink > all other screens. Hard to quantify the gap between each.
I think this is a big point to consider: we've known for a long time that taking notes increases recall to a degree that likely dwarfs this screen vs paper thing. There are studies where it's like a 7-8x improvement in recall which is tied to comprehension.
So if you want to actually remember and learn from stuff, definitely take notes. Preferably handwritten ones. Preferably do it all on paper. But the key is really to just be taking notes.
Lastly there is also the argument that doing anything is better than nothing. Some people aren't going to get through any books at all if they're not audiobooks, so, they should keep on listening to audiobooks, even if comprehension or recall might not be as good that way. Personally I've been on a hardcover books kick recently, I've found I just get a lot of satisfaction out of reading a proper, high quality hardcover book from start to finish, alone or with a loved one, preferably with a cup of tea, so that's what I'm now doing.
> we've known for a long time that taking notes increases recall to a degree that likely dwarfs this screen vs paper thing
Bit of anecdata that agrees with you here - a few years back I bought a decent colour e-ink android tablet (Onyx Boox). My intent was that I was going to totally use it for reading through journal papers without needing to print them out, regular ebook reading, etc etc.
The VAST MAJORITY of what I have used it for, to date, is the note taking app. Like, not notes scribbled over whatever I'm reading.. just notes.
The act of doodling notes in meetings and training and classes and when problem-solving definitely aids my [lack of] working memory and I definitely see how making notes improves comprehension.
I bought a book replacement and it became a notepad replacement :)
I too have found myself preferring a good solid actual book when it comes to reading, too. Ebooks just miss something tactile. I suppose that highlights when reading becomes an activity with intent, as opposed to something you feel you have to do.
My own personal experience is I hate reading any long form material on a computer or tablet screen. Something about the experience was both painful and didn’t seem to work with how I read. I bought a used e-reader on a lark at a flea market to try it out and picked up reading as a hobby again. Even with the newer backlit e-readers the experience is much different.
As a first guess I would say:
* “Paper like” looks, including slightly blurred text (since e-ink pixels aren’t square)
* Mostly reflective lighting and softer lighting when backlit
* Dedicated and simple UI
* Perhaps most importantly singly consumable, individual and discrete chunks of readable text
Are all factors in making this a better experience. E-pubs that can reflow their text and so that each “page” is rendered legibly and in full are great experiences. Reading fixed format PDFs is better than on a tablet but not as good as an epub
I have, and still find normal computer screens to just not work for reading long form content for me, even reading an epub in an epub app on a normal computer screen/tablet still feels off
