The Psychology of Tsundoku: Why We Buy Books We Do Not Read
Many people love the feeling of walking into a bookstore. The smell of paper, the colorful covers, and the promise of new knowledge or exciting stories are hard to resist. We buy a book, take it home with excitement, and place it on a shelf. But then, life gets busy. Weeks pass, then months, and the book remains unread. Soon, it is joined by another, and then another.
In Japanese, there is a specific word for this habit: tsundoku. It combines tsunde-oku (meaning to pile things up for later) and doku (reading). It describes the practice of acquiring reading materials and letting them pile up on shelves, tables, or floors without reading them. This is not a modern trend; the term has been used since the late 19th century. But why do we do it?
First, there is the concept of our "ideal self." When we buy a book, we are not just buying paper and ink; we are buying the person we hope to become. A book on history represents our desire to be more knowledgeable. A complex novel represents our desire to be more cultured. Buying the book is easy and gives us an immediate feeling of achievement. However, actually reading it requires time, energy, and focus. The pile of unread books represents our hopes for the future, even if we do not have the time right now.
Second, books act as a physical reminder of what we do not know. The writer and scholar Nassim Nicholas Taleb speaks about the "antilibrary." He argues that unread books are far more valuable than read ones. Read books can make us feel overly confident about our knowledge. In contrast, a collection of unread books keeps us humble. It reminds us of how much we still have to learn. Looking at a shelf of unread books is not a sign of failure; it is a sign of curiosity.
Finally, there is the simple joy of collecting. For book lovers, books are beautiful objects. The design of the cover, the texture of the paper, and the way they look on a shelf bring comfort. A home filled with books feels warm and intellectually alive.
So, if you have a growing pile of unread books, do not feel guilty. You are not disorganized; you are simply curious, hopeful, and surrounded by endless possibilities for future learning.
How many unread books do you currently have on your shelves?