Overview
- The Queen’s Reading Room announced a laboratory-controlled neuroscientific investigation led by the University of East London’s Professor Sam Wass in partnership with The Bentley Foundation.
- The study will measure real-time psychological and physical responses during group reading sessions to assess effects on stress, social bonding and mental wellbeing.
- The project follows the charity’s 2024 research showing that five minutes of fiction can cut stress by nearly 20% and improve concentration by up to 11%, with frequent readers reporting lower loneliness.
- The initiative marks a next phase in the charity’s evolution from an Instagram book club to evidence-based advocacy as it celebrates its fifth anniversary with the ‘Make Room for Reading’ campaign.
- Findings are expected by World Mental Health Day in October 2026, with results intended to inform community programs and the charity’s partnerships including work with St Mungo’s and The Elm Foundation.