Americans say nostalgia drives them to reread favorite books

The average reader has read their favorite book six times — and anticipates they’ll read it another seven times during their lifetime, according to new research.

The survey of 2,000 American readers, evenly split by generation, unpacked the science of book nostalgia and uncovered trends and habits relating to “nostalgic reading” — the practice of reading a book to evoke a particular sense of coziness and sentimentality.

According to the findings, the top reasons that people reread their favorite titles are to reimmerse themselves in the book’s unique setting (36%) and to visit with their favorite characters again (35%). More than a quarter (27%) also do so to evoke a particular sense of familiarity and nostalgia.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of ThriftBooks (https://www.thriftbooks.com), the survey found that readers actually opt to read a title they’ve already read almost half the time (48%) when choosing their next book.

More than seven in 10 (71%) also said they do nostalgic reading to purposely feel wistful, familiar and sentimental, which comes as no surprise since most readers (82%) labeled themselves as nostalgic people in general.

But interestingly, Gen Z is the most likely out of all generations to do nostalgic reading (84%) and to confess to having nostalgic personalities (87%).

Zita Chriszto, a licensed clinical psychologist, weighed in on the research and shined a light on why people gravitate toward the nostalgic, especially Gen Z, saying, “Reading nostalgically is an emotional coping strategy. It provides psychological safety by bringing readers back into a known emotional space with known characters, known outcomes and memories of earlier times in their lives.”

“Nostalgia typically arises during times of stress, transition or instability and is more prevalent than ever. While Gen Z is young, they have been raised in a time characterized, at an astonishing pace, by change, digital clutter and global apprehension. Nostalgia for them is less about the past and more about regaining a sense of simplicity, safety and emotional connection in an increasingly fragmented world.”

More than four in 10 respondents (45%) said they struggle to keep up with how quickly the world is evolving, with Gen Z being more likely than older generations to feel this way (52%).

So to feel more secure in life, people said they turn to their favorite books (58%) and TV shows and movies (59%) to feel a bit more stable and familiar. Forty-five percent also like to cook to maintain a sense of peace and 39% exercise.

And 80% of respondents make it a habit to read at the end of a bad day to feel better and end the day on a good note.

“There’s nothing better than ending the day curled up with a good book, especially if it’s been a hard day,” said Barbara Hagen, vice president of marketing at ThriftBooks. “In this study, we found that readers are gravitating toward old favorite titles, and we wanted to see what those were, as well as the books that instilled their original love for reading.”

Looking at readers’ all-time favorite books, there were differences between generations, as well as a few titles that were common among age groups.

The Harry Potter series was favorited by Gen Z, millennials and Gen X, and “To Kill a Mockingbird” was popular with millennials, Gen X and baby boomers. “Gone with the Wind” was also cited as a top book by Gen X and baby boomer readers.

Uncovering which titles sparked a love of literature in the first place, the survey also found similarities between age groups.

The Harry Potter series was once again mentioned by Gen Z, millennials and Gen X as their first book love. Millennials and Gen X also said “Charlotte’s Web” was one of their first favorites, and the Nancy Drew series was a common answer from Gen X and baby boomer respondents.

But regardless of which books are currently their favorites or which titles began a love affair with reading, readers are still more in love with printed books (84%) than digital (28%) or audiobooks (20%).

Reasons for this include enjoying the feeling of holding a book (62%) as well as the smell of books (36%).

Readers also said they like reading printed books best because it feels cozy and familiar (58%) and induces a pleasant sense of nostalgia (36%).

POPULAR FAVORITE BOOKS BY GENERATION

Gen Z

• “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”
• The Harry Potter series
• The Hunger Games series

Millennials

• The Harry Potter series
• “Pride and Prejudice”
• “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Gen X

• “To Kill a Mockingbird”
• The Harry Potter series
• “Gone With the Wind”

Baby boomers

• “Gone With the Wind”
• “The Stand”
• “To Kill a Mockingbird”