Dr. Schmidt explains the world: “The head is a damn heavy thing”

Since the book fair is taking place right now, what position do you prefer to read in – sitting, lying down or standing?

Preferably sitting at the table with a reading desk.

So that the book isn’t so deep?

Exactly, and because the fact that it’s slightly slanted means I don’t have to bend my head forward as much. Because the head is a damn heavy thing. If five or six kilos are pulling on your cervical vertebrae, that can’t be good.

Do you also read digitally like that?

Nope. The cell phone is too small for that. But you can easily place a tablet, it’s your own reading desk, so to speak.

I like to read books lying down with my feet slightly elevated. This should be good if the blood concentrates towards the head.

Basically yes. However, you have to hold the book in such a way that it doesn’t become too strenuous for your arms. This can lead to tension just as much as sitting for long periods of time. And older people are familiar with the problem that at some point their arms are too short to recognize the writing. I do better with the lectern.

What is the optimal reading angle?

At computer workstations, an approximate 40 degree head tilt is considered appropriate. So you might hold a newspaper, but not a book or tablet. At least not for long before your arms fall asleep.

There are studies that show that people sit too often and for too long. Just recently it was even about an increased risk of death.

Lack of exercise is a problem. Especially when there are more and more sedentary jobs in working life. At the end of the day, many people go from their seat at work to their seat in the car and then to their seat in front of the TV.

You can combine literature with movement: the audio book. Put on your headphones and get going. Is that something for you?

I find reading more enjoyable because I can set my own pace. And I can better recapitulate what I just read. So pause and look back. I also think that you remember things better when you read them.

Height-adjustable desks are becoming increasingly common in offices. Is standing better than sitting?

It’s about variety. As a long-term posture, standing is just as bad as sitting. Evolution has designed us to function best when we are in motion. Which of course had to do with the search for food in the early days of humanity.

In ancient times there were standing desks for reading and writing. Did we know something back then that we are rediscovering?

Perhaps this had to do with the Protestant view that sitting is too comfortable to penetrate the fabric. Nietzsche believed that one should not trust any thought that did not arise in free movement.

A recent study said that people who read live longer.

I doubt whether the connection is correct. People who read a lot are usually better off socially. And there is a clear connection between social status and life expectancy. But as a book reader you are of course happy about such news.