Bookworms’ reading quirks are more common than you’d think. (We’re looking at you, page sniffers and back-to-front flippers!)
Your (Totally Relatable) Reading Quirks Explained by Science
Updated on Feb. 10, 2025
Smelling books (especially old ones)
Have you ever cracked open a book and instinctually sniffed its spine before reading a page? Me too. And it turns out that there’s a scientific reason why that aroma is so appealing. According to the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, “old book smell” is a bouquet of odors with notes of grass and vanilla, released as the various components of a book break down. Take, for example, lignin, a polymer found in all wood-based paper. It is closely related to the organic compound vanillin (the main flavor component of vanilla) and gives books that warm, vanilla scent.
Because so many of us have childhood memories tied to books—like going to the library or a favorite bookstore—when we experience “old book smell,” it can trigger nostalgia and comfort, says Caitlin Slavens, a registered psychologist with expertise in reading and the clinical director of Couples to Cradles Counselling. “Studies show that scent is closely tied to memory and emotion, which is why the smell of old books might feel especially comforting,” she explains.
Sticking your tongue out while reading
So maybe you’re not acting out a book as you read it, but you catch yourself sticking your tongue out while fully engrossed in a story. Once again, there’s a scientific explanation for that. “Sticking out the tongue during intense focus results from motoric overflow, where neural activity from language-related brain areas spills into neighboring regions of the frontal motor cortex,” says Kimberly Williams, PsyD, a clinical neuropsychologist. “This overlap involves neural networks for mental flexibility and dexterity, leading to involuntary engagement of the mouth.”
According to Williams, this truly highlights how deeply interconnected cognitive and motor processes are during focused tasks, like reading.
Moving your lips while reading
Moving your lips during silent reading is known as subvocalization, Williams says. “It’s a very natural action that supports comprehension of the material and retention of the information,” she explains. But why do we do it?
As we learn to read, we develop a reading network that connects different areas of our brain—like linking the visual symbols of print to the sounds those symbols represent, or linking those words with background knowledge and vocabulary to comprehend what we’re reading, says Benjamin Powers, the executive director of the Southport School, president of the Dyslexia Foundation and director of the Yale and University of Connecticut Haskins Global Literacy Hub.
“The reading network co-opts different areas of the brain and overlaps significantly with the speech network, as reading development relies significantly on oral language,” he explains. For some people, subvocalization may help with aspects like processing, remembering or comprehending what they read.
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Rereading favorite books instead of starting something new
Do I have a constantly growing TBR stack of books? Yes. Do I regularly pick up a well-worn copy of Anne of Green Gables and read it instead? Also yes. While I love diving into a new book, there’s something so comforting about rereading passages from your favorite book (or reading the whole thing—we’re not here to judge). It’s like visiting with old friends: You already know their backstory, so you can focus all of your attention on the dialogue or colorful descriptions.
This is actually a fairly common habit, Powers says, as rereading your favorite books is predictable and may be comforting, which, in turn, can help reduce anxiety. According to Slavens, it can also reduce decision fatigue and provide a dependable escape during times of stress. Along the same lines, Powers says that rereading books “can help reduce the cognitive load compared to a new text, especially in areas of working memory, and be less tiring for individuals with decoding or comprehension issues.”
But Williams says there’s another explanation: As we grow, change and gain new experiences, our interpretation of a familiar book may also evolve, and we may get more out of it than just comfort. “As one’s real-world context expands, previously read information can become more robust than interesting,” she explains.
Reading the last page of a book first
Though I don’t do this myself, I know of several people who, upon getting their hands on a new book, read the last page first. If I’m going to invest time in a book, I want to go along for the ride—nail-biting suspense and thrills included. But for other people, starting with the last page (or chapter) of a book and knowing how the story is going to end can actually lower their anxiety, Slavens says.
“This lets you focus on how the story unfolds instead of stressing about what’s going to happen,” she explains. In fact, a study from the University of California San Diego found that spoilers can enhance enjoyment because they reduce uncertainty and allow readers to focus on details and themes.
Making the faces and expressions described on the page
Have you ever caught yourself grimacing, grinning or smirking at the page while reading? If so, you’re not alone. There are plenty of other people whose faces accompany them on their literary journey, acting out a book as they read it. “This is your brain’s mirror neurons at work,” says Slavens. “They mimic the emotions and expressions you’re imagining as a way to help you connect with the story. It’s like method acting for readers.”
A study published in the journal NeuroImage found that mirror neurons play a major role in empathy and emotional engagement—”which is why you can’t help but grimace when the character does,” she explains. It makes sense, considering one of the greatest benefits of reading is the development of empathy.
Tracing each sentence with your finger
In the early stages of reading development, finger-point reading helps children link oral language and print, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Studies of Reading. Beyond that, it also helps them track the words they are reading and stay focused, Powers says. “Many developing readers use finger-tracking initially and then rely on it less,” he explains. “However, individuals with reading disabilities, like dyslexia, or visual acuity deficits may continue to rely on finger tracking as a strategy to support fluent reading and comprehension.”
Starting books but not finishing them
Life’s too short to force yourself to continue reading a book you’re not into solely for the sake of finishing it. I used to be pretty strict about reading books all the way to the end, no matter what. But I stopped doing that sometime in my 20s. The less time that I had to read, the more I realized I should actually be enjoying a book—not finishing it out of obligation.
According to Powers, there are several reasons why people don’t finish reading books, including reading fatigue (especially if an individual has a reading disability, like dyslexia), difficulty engaging with certain book genres, challenges with text comprehension or lack of interest. Then, there are people with attention issues like ADHD (hi, that’s me), who may become distracted while reading, have difficulty sustaining interest or seek out more immediate gratification, he says. Whatever the reason, consider this your permission to put down a book if it’s not doing it for you.
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Sources:
- Caitlin Slavens, registered psychologist and clinical director of Couples to Cradles Counselling; interviewed, January 2025
- Kimberly Williams, PsyD, pediatric and young adult neuropsychologist; interviewed, January 2025
- Benjamin Powers, DBA, executive director of the Southport School and CoLAB, president of the Dyslexia Foundation and director of the Yale and University of Connecticut Haskins Global Literacy Hub; interviewed, January 2025
- International League of Antiquarian Booksellers: “Is It More Than ‘Old Book Smell’?”
- Psychological Science: “Story Spoilers Don’t Spoil Stories”
- NeuroImage: “Mirroring others’ emotions relates to empathy and interpersonal competence in children”
- Scientific Studies of Reading: “Finger-point reading in kindergarten: The role of phonemic awareness, one-to-one correspondence, and rapid serial naming”
