The Psychology of a Book Hangover
Why do our heads get stuck in books long after the story has ended? I set out to find some answers to the book hangover phenomenon.
Clare Barnett lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and daughter. She delves into all genres but has a soft spot for fantasy, mystery, and memoir. When she’s not working her way through her to-read list, she’s reading and writing about bookish things. Twitter: @clarebar. Inquiries: clarerbarnett@gmail.com.
I can feel one coming on. My thoughts fog. My mood darkens. I ducked reality for a few nights and now it’s caught up with me again. I can’t deny it—I’m nursing a book hangover.
A “book hangover” is the slangy shortcut for the feeling when a reader finishes a book—usually fiction—and they can’t stop thinking about the fictional world that has run out of pages. The story is over, but the reader misses the characters or the atmosphere of the novel. Personally, I know the hangover is bad when I have trouble even looking at another book. What passing delights can a new novel hold for me when I only want more of the story I just finished?
The book hangover phenomenon is well-documented in memes, videos, and even T-shirts. You know it when you feel it—but why do we feel this way? Why do our heads get stuck in books long after the story has ended? I set out to find some answers to the book hangover phenomenon in the psychology of reading. It turns out there is research behind why I spent an hour staring into space, wondering what the characters with whom I spent a few hundred pages would do with another chapter.
