

I’m not so sure about gas stations. It seems the government too often has to step in to fund remediation of the soil and safe disposal of the underground fuel tanks when they close. The gas stations never want to pay for the inevitable cleanup in advance because it would be too expensive.
I don’t think there is conclusive evidence right now. But what I have heard hypothesized is that books require engaging your mind over a longer period of time on the same narrative thread broken up over numerous sittings. So, you improve your ability for complex, long-term cognition, since you have to commit to memory and recall details about that specific story, not just general ideas related to it.
I think it would also be problematic to exclusively read books personally. Not everything worth reading makes sense in a long format. Technical documentation is also part of my day-to-day.