In the Vox podcast In a Nutshell, hosts Jara Majerus and Antonia Leise take a deep dive into the university's most interesting, strange, and exciting research. Every two weeks, they invite Radboud researchers to talk about their favourite topics – explained in bite-sized episodes. In today's episode, Jara delves into the world of literature and explores reading habits.

Why do young people want to read more than they actually do? Why does it sometimes require bravery to admit that one is a reader? And what makes reading literature so important for our development?

In the 7th episode of In a Nutshell, Jara and her guest Jeroen Dera find answers to these questions. Together, they uncover the perks and pitfalls of BookTok, examine the connection between open-mindedness and reading, and investigate what keeps young people from reading.

Jeroen is an associate professor Dutch literature. In his research, he focuses on the reading culture of young people and on the role literature plays in education.

Do you want to know more about this topic? Make sure to follow Jeroen’s recommendations and read The Reading Lives of Teens, edited by Chin Ee Loh, and De lezende mens, by Adriaan van der Weel and Ruud Hisgen.