Slow Reading Benefits

 Table of contents 

•What is slow reading?

•Medical conditions of slow reading 

•How to practice slow reading?

•Benefits of slow reading 

Slow Reading Benefits 

What is slow reading?

Slow reading is the process of reading where you read things carefully without subscribing to the pressure of time. This can also be called as reading between the lines. In slow reading you try to absorbed the most of what is written andore importantly what is intended to write.

What are the medical conditions leading to slow reading?

There are several medical conditions that can compel an individual to read slowly. When one suffers from vision impairment, our reading can slow down. Dyslexia or ADHD are also conditions when one suffers internally leading to the decrement of residing speed. 

Here we are about to see how concious slow reading can benefit us. For those who enjoys reading slow, reading can be an experience reading as an act to fun, joy, peace. It stirs your intellect. Reading also helps you slow down in this fast moving digital world.

This digital era

We all know that today we are living in an era where tonnes of articles, books, pamphlets are available for reading just at a click. This makes us face the problem of decision fatigue. We end up scanning through social much that there is more of scanning and less of reading. 

'With the benefit of wider access to information comes the cost of a diminished attention span' said Erik Estep, when reviewing a book about slow reading. The problem with scanning is that it is reducing our attention span. This is mainly due to the change in our reading habits. 

These days all of us are more focused on scanning through facts rather then reading things for the pure purpose of enjoyment. Slow , deep , intentional reading helps you soak in the emotions, aesthetics that has been put in that piece of work. 

Research shows that these days we are suffering Goldfish Effect. A goldfish has an attention span of 8 seconds only and not so surprisingly average human attention span has also dropped to 8 seconds in 2013 which was 12 seconds in 2000.  Internet and digitalisation has heavily contributed towards this shift. 

How to practice slow reading? 

•Reading is no doubt an important for self improvement but slow reading is even better. Here are few tips you can follow if you are thinking about slow reading. 

•Choose a place where you are comfortable for reading. Prefer hard copies instead of starting with soft ones. 

•Take a book, magzine, newspaper or anything of your interest. Be choosy. 

•Shut down all your screens and do away with all the beeps, rings, pop-ups, to eliminate any sort of distractions. 

•Read when you are in a good mood and not you are low on energy (feeling lethargic).

•Read slowly. Stop at every paragraph and page and keep asking yourself what you read. Do not hurry?

•Keep a pen with you while reading so that you can highlight, take notes. This will help you engage better with the books. Remember quality of reading is more important then quantity. 

•Take pauses. Do not rush to finish your book. Be slow reflective of what you are reading. Keep asking questions. 

What are the benefits of slow reading?

Better understanding: when you read slowly, you grasp things better. It is like reading inbetween the lines. You understand the hidden meaning of the text. Patterns, maps, outlines are visible which can be easily missed if you simply scan through the book.

Reading reduces stress: when you take to slow reading you end up spending more time with yourself less distracted with other things around. This makes you forget the pressure of time. Less pressure means less stress and a calmer you.

Helps reduce memory loss: research suggests that reading is a mentaly challenging task. This stimulates our brain. Reading helps in better memory retention over a longer period of time. 

Boost focus level: consistent reading improves our attention span. It helps brain boost it muscles power required for concentration. The more you read the better your concentration gets.

Helps understand the text better: the more you read the more better you get at understanding the written text. You will be able to spot the symbolism used, metaphors and references used in the text.

All these pleasures would be missed if you simply skim and scan through the pages of the text. The real meaning is difficult to find when doing surface reading. That why slow reading is always preferred. 

Read more: How to avoid Procrastination -what are the 5 ways to avoid Procrastination

FAQs

Q.1.Can a slow reader be smart?

Research shows that reading is a mentally challenging task which helps grow our intellect but slow reading has several other benefits too. Most importantly it helps you analysis things that are not visible at the surface level.

Q.2.What does 30 minutes of reading do to your brain?

Research suggests that reading for 30 minutes a day strengthens your brain capacity. 

Q.3.Is reading better then watching television?

At any given time reading is better then watching television as when we are engaged in watching television we have to do the least amount of work to understand a thing but while we read we are suppose put some efforts to understand.  We become an active consumer rather then a passive one in case of television.