The effects of reading on flow experience and mood changes: A comparison of reading novels and exposition texts

Abstract

　This study aims to examine the differences between the effects of reading novels and reading exposition texts on experiences of flow and mood changes. Eighty-five undergraduate and graduate students were divided into novel and exposition-text reading groups. We compared flow-experiences both before and during reading, as well as mood both before and after reading. The results indicate that micro-levels of flow occurred during reading in both groups. Moreover, negative mood and friendliness decreased after reading in both groups. Examining the relations between flow and mood changes, within the novel-reading group, participants who were immersed in the texts were more likely to experience mood improvements and, similarly, in the exposition-text group, immersion during reading led to decreases in negative moods. We conclude that reading effectively stabilizes a reader’s mental states.