The science behind
reading to unlock
ReadBlock isn't built on guesswork. Every core mechanic maps to peer-reviewed research on attention, habits, and reward circuits.
Attention restoration
Sustained, linear reading activates the brain’s default-mode network and restores depleted attentional resources — a process social-media scrolling actively disrupts.
The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework
Kaplan, S. (1995). Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169–182. DOI →
The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature
Berman, M. G., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). Psychological Science, 19(12), 1207–1212. DOI →
The “online brain”: How the Internet may be changing our cognition
Firth, J., Torous, J., Stubbs, B., et al. (2019). World Psychiatry, 18(2), 119–129. DOI →
Habit formation: cue → routine → reward
ReadBlock is designed around the habit loop: the cue is wanting to open a blocked app, the routine is reading your pages, and the reward is regaining access. This three-part structure is the most reliable framework for building lasting habits.
How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world
Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009. DOI →
A new look at habits and the habit–goal interface
Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2007). Psychological Review, 114(4), 843–863. DOI →
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Duhigg, C. (2012). Random House.
Deep reading vs. scrolling
Linear, page-by-page reading promotes comprehension, empathy, and critical thinking. Social-media feeds train the brain for rapid, shallow scanning — the cognitive opposite.
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World
Wolf, M. (2018). Harper.
Don’t throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on comprehension
Delgado, P., Vargas, C., Ackerman, R., & Salmerón, L. (2018). Educational Research Review, 25, 23–38. DOI →
Reading behavior in the digital environment
Liu, Z. (2005). Journal of Documentation, 61(6), 700–712. DOI →
Dopamine regulation
Replacing high-frequency, low-effort dopamine hits (scrolling) with slower, richer rewards (finishing a chapter) helps rebalance the brain’s reward circuitry over time.
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
Lembke, A. (2021). Dutton.
Addiction: Decreased reward sensitivity and increased expectation sensitivity conspire to overwhelm the brain’s control circuit
Volkow, N. D., Wang, G.-J., Fowler, J. S., et al. (2011). BioEssays, 32(9), 748–755. DOI →
Careless responding on the Internet: Social media, smartphone, and Internet addiction
Montag, C., & Walla, P. (2016). Current Addiction Reports, 3, 70–76. DOI →
Screen time & well-being
Excessive social media use is consistently linked to increased anxiety, depression, and reduced life satisfaction — especially among working-age adults. Replacing even 30 minutes of scrolling with reading measurably improves subjective well-being.
Media use is linked to lower psychological well-being: Evidence from three datasets
Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2019). Psychiatric Quarterly, 90, 311–331. DOI →
The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use
Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). Nature Human Behaviour, 3, 173–182. DOI →
A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity
Bavishi, A., Slade, M. D., & Levy, B. R. (2016). Social Science & Medicine, 164, 44–48. DOI →