Why you keep buying books you don't read – and why it feels good
skip to main content
Your browser does not support Javascript. Please turn Javascript on to get the best experience from rte.ie
Weather
Login
Discover<br>Discover
RTÉ Games
RTÉ Archives
RTÉ Brainstorm
History
Gaeilge
RTÉ Learn
Food
RTÉ Food
RTÉ Recipes
Watch<br>Watch
RTÉ Player
TV
RTÉ One
RTÉ2
RTÉ News
RTÉjr
Listen<br>Listen
Radio
Podcasts
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ 2FM
RTÉ lyric fm
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
Services<br>Services
Orchestra
RTÉ Weather
Century Ireland
Kids<br>Kids
RTÉ Kids
RTÉ Learn
Help<br>Help
Contact
Feedback
Accessibility
Complaints
Terms & Conditions
Individual Rights Guide
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Freedom of Information
Helplines
Information<br>Information
About RTÉ
TV Licence
Vacancies
Latest Annual Report
Advertise with RTÉ
2rn
Saorview
Newsletters
RTÉ Supporting the Arts
Policies and Reports
See all results
Updated / Friday, 31 Jul 2026<br>15:54
Getty
The Japanese word tsundoku describes the habit of acquiring books and allowing them to accumulate unread. Photo: Getty Images
Analysis: Looking forward to enjoyable experiences like a book can improve mood, increase motivation and provide a buffer against everyday stress
By Michelle Spear, University of Bristol
At busy times, I find I simply cannot read as much as I would like to. Life has a habit of filling every available hour with work, meetings, emails, chores, errands and deadlines. Standing in one of my natural habitats – a bookshop – it is frustrating to see so many things I want to read while knowing I do not have the time.
My usual consolation is to buy the book anyway and let a small, satisfying pile build up, looking ahead to the next quieter stretch when I might finally open them. It is oddly satisfying. Some might call this clutter. The Japanese have a far more elegant word for it: tsundoku.
The term describes the habit of acquiring books and allowing them to accumulate unread. It combines the idea of stacking things up (tsunde), leaving something for later (oku) and reading (doku). The result is a concept that captures the quiet optimism of a pile of books.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with David McCullagh, Tracy McEneaney from Waterford County Libraries and Darina Molloy from Mayo County Libraries on the best books to read this summer
Far from being a sign of being time poor or lacking in discipline, tsundoku may reveal something surprisingly important about how the brain responds to anticipation. When we encounter something that promises enjoyment or discovery, the brain's reward system becomes active. One important pathway runs from the ventral tegmental area, a dopamine-producing region in the midbrain involved in motivation, to the nucleus accumbens, a structure that helps generate feelings of reward.
Dopamine is often described as a pleasure chemical, but that is too simple. One of its key roles is helping the brain identify opportunities worth pursuing. Rather than rewarding us only after something beneficial has happened, the brain often rewards us in advance, encouraging behaviour that are likely to prove valuable.
From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense. Our ancestors benefited from seeking out food before they were hungry, shelter before a storm arrived, and useful knowledge before they needed it. A brain that could anticipate future rewards had a clear advantage over one that responded only to immediate needs.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
From RTÉ Radio 1's Oliver Callan Show, Catherine Prasifka's guide to books to get you back reading
This means dopamine responds not only to rewards themselves, but also to the expectation of reward. The anticipation of a pleasurable experience can activate reward pathways long before the experience takes place. An unread book is a good example. It may remain closed for weeks or months, but the brain has already recognised its potential value, enjoying the prospect before the first page has been turned.
The hippocampus, a structure deep within the brain best known for its role in memory, also plays an important part. While we often think of the hippocampus as helping us remember the past, it is equally important for imagining the future. The same neural machinery that allows us to reconstruct previous experiences helps us construct future ones.
When you picture yourself finally reading that book on a summer holiday, during a long train journey or curled up on the sofa on a rainy afternoon, the...