MENTAL WELLNESS
At our core, Ten Pages is dedicated to mental health and well-being.
Our programs and initiatives aim to promote mental wellness.
REading ten pages a day
We at Ten pages advocate reading ten pages as a daily wellness ritual. Reading not only satisfies intellectual curiosity and stimulates the brain, but it also has mental and physical health benefits. Reading:
- reduces depression symptoms in adults;
- activates parts of the prefrontal cortex involved in perspective-taking, which increases one's ability to understand how people are thinking;
- provides an escape or opportunity for meaningful contemplation, which can increase sense of well-being; and
- is associated with living longer.
live community dialogues
Our Ten Pages Live program not only teaches podcasting skills but also aims to combat loneliness and social isolation. The world is currently experiencing a friendship crisis. 45% of United States adults reported difficulty making new friends - and that was before the pandemic! Cristina Holtzer, 5 ways to make new friends in Pittsburgh, Next Pittsburgh, https://nextpittsburgh.com/events/5-ways-to-make-new-friends-in-pittsburgh/ (Mar. 27, 2023). Since the pandemic, loneliness has skyrocketed. (Psychology Today). Specifically, American men are feeling it most acutely, enduring what some are calling a "friendship recession." Catherine Pearson, Why is it So Hard for Men to Make Close Friends, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/well/family/male-friendship-loneliness.html (Nov. 28, 2022). Literature and the arts can help empower communities and build friendships by catalyzing productive conversations. (Psychology Today). The Ten Pages Lives podcasting workshop, free and open to the general public of all ages, provides a literal space where people can come together, connect, and make friends. Moreover, though, the dialogues prompted by our monthly readings and resources deepen relations and fertilize the soil of friendship. The podcasting workshop is as much about creating a podcast episode as it is about bonding and fostering community among participants. We hope to empower communities and forge friendships through the Ten Pages Live podcasting workshop.