New research suggests that shared reading groups combat loneliness – and the effects can be astonishing

In Eleanor Rigby, the Beatles asked, “All the lonely people – where do they all come from?” The answer to that question is complex, but loneliness is a widespread feeling among Australians. One in three people feel lonely, and one in six experience severe loneliness.

The findings of our research suggest that shared reading groups, where people from all walks of life meet regularly to read and discuss literature, can provide the kind of meaningful social connections needed to alleviate loneliness.

In shared reading, small groups of people read short stories and poetry under the guidance of a trained facilitator, who gently directs the conversation to encourage deeper conversations about life, emotions and personal experiences.

It’s not really a book club or a self-help group; shared reading combines the best of both. It can take place in different environments: libraries, community centres, care homes, prisons, hospitals and schools. The aim is to reconnect people with themselves and others, promoting well-being and social inclusion.

In 2022–2023, we have assembled a team of researchers to pilot a project with ten shared reading groups in Melbourne and Bendigo. We wanted to find out if the groups could help Victorians leave their sense of isolation post-pandemic and improve mental health. Our partners included libraries, a community centre, a hospital, a retirement home and the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council. We interviewed 35 participants and conducted 26 follow-up interviews.

The groups read stories and poems, chosen by the supervisors. The texts were selected for their potential to evoke strong feelings and describe broadly recognizable human experiences, in order to encourage members of the groups to open up. Authors included Kate Chopin, Langston Hughes, Mary Oliver, Li-Young Lee, Tobias Wolff, Susan Glaspell, Moniza Alvi, Maya Angelou, James Joyce and Judith Wright.

Although our participants differed in age, social background, mental and physical health and cultural identity, the most striking feature was that they gained a deep sense of social connection and improved well-being. In fact, almost all participants surveyed said the group made them feel better, while the majority felt it helped them relate to others in a deeper way.

Take 94-year-old ‘Elaine’, who joined a shared reading group shortly after entering aged care. When she joined, she felt “miserable” and “a fraud to everyone”, but she found the group rejuvenating: “it just lifted me up and I couldn’t wait for the next week (…) It took me out of myself .’

The positive effects were not only social. “When I came here I wasn’t walking, I was in a wheelchair,” said Elaine. “I had a boost in my running (…) It was a struggle to get here. But I was able to run back.”

Shared memories and experiences

In shared reading, literature serves as a springboard to talk about life, compare experiences, and share memories in a safe and inclusive space. The effects are nothing short of astonishing. Research on shared reading has shown that it can combat loneliness, alleviate depression, reduce anxiety, and even help with chronic pain.

Shared reading is widespread in the UK, where The Reader Organization runs more than 700 groups across the country and has received NHS funding. But initiatives in Australia are still limited in scope and scale.

Conversations in shared reading groups tend to skip the small talk and get to the heart of the matter through a story. Hearing different perspectives from other group members allows participants to connect across differences and reflect on common human experiences.

As “Ruby” discovered, shared text “allows you to get a pretty deep understanding of other people.” It provides a “starting point for getting to know people very quickly, rather than starting with general chatter or things that seem a bit more superficial.”

One of the most powerful motivations for reading is a sense of identification, or recognition of facets of one’s own experience in the text. We read to feel reassured that we are not alone in the world. The effect of recognition is enhanced in shared reading when sharing experiences is met with an accepting response from the group. We are not left alone with the experience, as when we read for ourselves.

That sense of visibility and connection within the group played a special role in all the reading groups we held. Reading together provided a safe space to express yourself, without any pressure to confess. “Beth” described how powerful those moments of sharing can be:

“People were sharing parts of themselves where you could tell they were also feeling vulnerable. Or when they were being really honest, like there was a reflection in something that really touched me or someone else in their group. And those moments of connection were really powerful.”

Combat loneliness

According to the recently released State of the Nation Report on Social Connection, loneliness is an experience that affects us all, but some are more vulnerable than others. Young people, caregivers, those who have difficulty meeting their financial needs, people who live in rural areas, live alone or have chronic illness and poor mental health are particularly vulnerable to loneliness.

While men and women are equally lonely, young people aged 18 to 24 report the highest levels of loneliness, followed by 45-54 year olds. Contrary to popular belief, older people – those over 65 – feel less lonely.

Although people living alone report higher levels of loneliness than those who live with a partner or friends, being surrounded by people is not a sign of connection. In fact, half of those living in extended family report loneliness – by far the highest level.

Part of the problem is that the stigma surrounding loneliness remains high, with almost one in two believing that lonely people have negative personality traits. More than half say they do not want to be friends with a lonely person. A third of people believe that loneliness is a sign of weakness or that there is something wrong with someone who is lonely.

No wonder then that 58% of people don’t want to talk to others about their feelings of loneliness and half say they would hide their loneliness.

Yet the price we pay for loneliness is high: our mental and physical health can be seriously affected by loneliness. Loneliness and depression are closely linked. Lonely people are less productive at work and more likely to seek mental health help, confirming that we tend to view loneliness as a personal flaw in need of medical attention.

So what can be done? Two key suggestions from the State of the Nation report are relevant to us all: we need to change the conversation about loneliness, and we need to foster meaningful connections within communities.

It turns out that shared reading groups do just that. These groups can foster the kind of meaningful connections needed to combat Australia’s widespread loneliness.

If groups exist long enough, friendships can develop. ‘Janet’, who emigrated from China and joined a group to improve her English, has been attending for more than two years. She has made lasting friendships and the group is now the highlight of her week:

“It just makes me feel like life is worth living, it just gave me the pleasure of loving life (…) yes really, very important that I can come.”

Tea and biscuits encourage socializing before or after sessions. Over time, the participants get to know each other well. But even without this element, shared reading offers a third space: an informal opportunity to meet regularly in a safe setting and talk about the things that matter.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.