Are Reading Parties the New Wellness Activity for Creative Leaders?
There’s an intriguing concept I recently encountered — Reading Rhythms. It’s not your typical book club, but something more… a reading party. A few weeks ago, I bought a ticket and set out to experience what Reading Rhythms had to offer.
Reading Rhythms, as I came to learn, is a gathering where friends and strangers meet to enjoy low-key music and immerse themselves in reading.
It’s not a book club. A book club is typically a group of individuals who gathers to discuss books selected based on a common theme or a predetermined reading list. These clubs often agree on a single book to read and examine together.
A reading party, whether organized officially or unofficially, is where attendees come together to enjoy reading in each other’s company. These gatherings typically involve participants quietly reading various books of their choice… not the same books. Some reading parties are held in silence, but this one was designed to encourage discussions about the books we brought.
To this gathering, I brought the new bestseller, “7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” I’m normally a non-fiction reader, but I found myself devouring this amazing novel. The Reading Rhythms I went to was in a cozy lounge in the back of a bar in Williamsburg. Molly and I showed up, found our seats, and started meeting a few strangers around us.
I won’t give away the exact format, but the event was orchestrated by four friends — John, Ben, Charlotte and Tom — and it turned out to be more than just a reading session.
First, we read. Then we broke off into groups of two for sharing. Then we read some more. Then we broke off into slightly larger groups for debriefing and sharing.
Through this experience, three things came up for me.
1. Focused Reading Time For Well-being
I’m busy as heck and constantly going from task to task. The event was structured into multiple 30-minute silent reading blocks, fostering mono-tasking and mindfulness. This was a stark contrast to the multitasking that often hampers our focus, creativity, and well-being. In these moments of solitude, I found myself deeply engaged with my book. A study by the University of Sussex suggests that multitasking, especially with our electronic devices, can reduce cognitive capacity and mental well-being. I looked around and nobody was on their phones. A study conducted by the University of Minnesota found that reading for even just six minutes can reduce stress levels by up to 68%, making it more effective than listening to music or going for a walk.
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
2. Community Learning
The interactive component of a gathering like Reading Rhythms, which comes after the focused reading sprints, where we discuss our readings with others, is supported by research on social learning. According to a study in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology, when we have conversations with others about material that we’re reading, we can significantly improve understanding and retention. We wrote about this in our book, “Gratitude Through Hard Times,” the notion that when you take something that’s un-processed inside your brain, and put it out on paper or in words, it helps organize it into a cohesive narrative. When I listened to other people talk about the ideas and concepts they found in their books, it inspired new ways of looking at the material I had read in mine. I know what you’re thinking, how could I learn worldly knowledge in a bestselling fiction novel? Well, I did. Evelyn Hugo ended up teaching me a lot that night!
3. Social Well-being
I think my favorite part about this kind of gathering is the social yet non-alcoholic and non-party environment that it has. I went to a party on a Monday night and it gave me something to do socially that didn’t involve the usual going out to a club on a Friday or Saturday. It wasn’t some high-octane competitive social event. It was calm, connected and leisurely. I was just recovering from a concussion at the time I went to this reading party and it was one of the first times I went out in public at night. There’s a study that shows that engaging in group activities like reading has been linked to improved mental health and a decrease in feelings of loneliness, as per research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
I started contemplating the application of reading parties in other areas, like in our team building and client engagement consulting firm. I started to imagine integrating this concept into corporate settings, where teams engage in silent reading followed by collaborative discussions. This could be a powerful tool to spark innovation, creativity, and cross-functional collaboration.
Imagine you’re a creative business leader. Your employees are likely feeling lonely, disconnected and burnt out. They’re constantly rushing, seldom pausing to reflect, leading to stagnation. Sharing innovative ideas feels like too much effort, so they stick to the status quo.
Hosting a reading party, in whatever form or fashion, could help your people connect in a meaningful way. At your annual off-site, why don’t you dedicate two hours of it for an intentional reading party and connection time?
I think your people will learn from each other. And you’ll get to know each other by looking at what books people choose to bring.
Reading Rhythms has reignited my passion for reading and reshaped my perspective on learning and social interaction. Until my concussion gets better, there will be no clubbing for me. We all need to invest in transformative experiences that can help remind us of the beauty that it is to be alive.
In the meantime, turn off your phone for a few hours tomorrow. Set aside dedicated creative time to read. And lastly, make it social. Invite people over and instead of telling them to bring a bottle of wine, tell them to bring a book.