You're not slow: the ultimate guide to reading faster (using science!)

Summary

This video script delves into the world of speed reading, questioning the validity of popular techniques and exploring scientific research. It debunks myths like peripheral vision reading and the silencing of the inner voice, revealing that comprehension is key. The script suggests that improving language processing skills and vocabulary can genuinely increase reading speed. It also touches on the effectiveness of skimming for extracting information without sacrificing too much comprehension, while acknowledging the mystery behind the abilities of super-fast readers like Anne Jones.

Takeaways

• 🏆 World speedreading champion Anne Jones read 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' in 4 minutes and 7 seconds, achieving a reading rate of over 4,200 words per minute.
• 🎓 The typical reading speed for a college-educated adult is between 200 and 400 words per minute, which raises questions about the validity of speed reading techniques.
• 👀 The human eye's peripheral vision is too blurry to read effectively, debunking the idea that using peripheral vision can significantly increase reading speed.
• 📚 The inner voice, or subvocalization, is essential for comprehension and should not be eliminated in an attempt to speed read, as research shows it aids in understanding and word recognition.
• 🔍 Eliminating or minimizing the inner voice can decrease comprehension, contradicting popular speed reading advice.
• 👓 Regressions, or moving the eyes back to reread something, are common and crucial for understanding; they should not be trained out as speed reading advice often suggests.
• 🔬 High-speed eye-tracking research shows that the eye makes several fixations while reading a line of text, and cognitive processing, not eye movement, limits reading speed.
• 📈 Language processing skills and vocabulary are key to increasing reading speed; familiar words are recognized faster and sometimes skipped entirely by skilled readers.
• 🛑 Skimming, or extracting important information from a text, should be done systematically rather than by zigzagging the eyes across the page.
• 📚 The structure of a book, headings, and first and last sentences of chapters and paragraphs are important for skimming effectively.
• 🤔 Superfast readers like Anne Jones may have exceptional language processing abilities that allow them to skim and comprehend at high speeds, but the exact mechanisms are not fully understood.

Q & A

What was the challenge Anne Jones faced on July 21, 2007?

Anne Jones, the World Speedreading Champion, was tasked with reading the final installment of Harry Potter, 'The Deathly Hallows,' as quickly as possible to provide a newspaper with the first review of the book.

How long did it take Anne Jones to read all 784 pages of 'The Deathly Hallows'?

Anne Jones read all 784 pages in 47 minutes, achieving a reading rate of over 4,200 words per minute.

What is the typical reading speed of a college-educated adult?

The typical reading speed of a college-educated adult lies between 200 and 400 words per minute.

What are the two most widely recommended speed reading strategies mentioned in the script?

The two most widely recommended speed reading strategies are using peripheral vision to take in more visual information and silencing the inner voice while reading.

Why is it biologically impossible to use peripheral vision to read at high speeds?

It is biologically impossible because anything outside the foveal viewing area is too blurry to read, and the foveal area is quite small, limiting the amount of text that can be processed at once.

What role does the inner voice play in the reading process?

The inner voice, or subvocalization, plays an essential role in comprehension, as it helps in understanding, learning, and recognizing words.

What does research suggest about the effectiveness of silencing the inner voice for speed reading?

Research suggests that eliminating or minimizing the inner voice can result in decreased comprehension, contradicting the popular advice for speed reading.

What are 'regressions' in the context of reading?

Regressions are instances when a reader moves their eyes back over something they have already read to better understand it, which is a common behavior even among skilled readers.

What did the University of California San Diego's study on regressions and reading comprehension find?

The study found that regressions are crucial to understanding what we read, and reading without the ability to reread parts of the text when necessary decreases comprehension accuracy.

What is the key factor in increasing reading speed without sacrificing comprehension?

The key factor is improving language processing skills, which includes expanding vocabulary and familiarity with words, leading to shorter fixations and faster reading speeds.

What is 'skimming' and how can it be used to increase reading speed?

Skimming is a reading technique where one extracts important information from a text quickly. It can be done more effectively by systematically looking at the table of contents, headings, and first and last sentences of sections to increase reading speed with some cost to comprehension.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Science of Speed Reading

This paragraph introduces the concept of speed reading with the example of Anne Jones, the World Speedreading Champion, who read 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' in just 4 minutes and 7 seconds, achieving an astonishing rate of over 4,200 words per minute. The video aims to explore the science behind reading and whether there is a 'magic method' that can enable superhuman reading speeds. It questions the validity of popular speed reading techniques like peripheral vision and subvocalization, citing research that suggests these methods may not be as effective as believed and could actually hinder comprehension. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding the role of the 'inner voice' in reading comprehension.

05:02

🔍 Debunking Speed Reading Myths

The second paragraph delves deeper into the myths surrounding speed reading techniques. It discusses the common advice against 'regressions', or going back to previously read material, and the use of rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) as a method to eliminate this practice. However, research from the University of California San Diego suggests that regressions are essential for understanding and that reading without the ability to reread decreases comprehension accuracy. The paragraph highlights the trade-off between speed and comprehension and introduces the concept of 'saccades', the quick eye movements during reading, which are crucial for effective reading. It concludes by emphasizing that cognitive processing, not eye movement, is the limiting factor in reading speed, and that both subvocalization and regression are necessary for high comprehension.

10:03

🚀 Enhancing Reading Speed Effectively

The final paragraph focuses on how to genuinely increase reading speed without sacrificing comprehension. It points out that language processing skills are paramount and that familiarity with words can significantly reduce fixation times, thus increasing reading speed. The paragraph also touches on the technique of skimming, which can increase reading speed at the cost of some comprehension. It suggests a systematic approach to skimming, such as using the table of contents, headings, and first and last sentences of sections to extract important information. The paragraph acknowledges the mystery surrounding super-fast readers like Anne Jones and speculates that their abilities may be related to advanced language processing skills. It concludes with a promotion for the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, a program designed for beginners to learn data cleaning, analysis, and visualization.

Keywords

💡Speedreading

Speedreading is the skill of reading text at a faster pace than the average person, typically measured in words per minute. In the video, it is the central theme, with the discussion revolving around the possibility of increasing reading speed to superhuman levels. The script mentions Anne Jones, a speedreading champion, who is able to read at an astonishing rate, which is used as a benchmark to explore the science behind speedreading.

💡Peripheral Vision

Peripheral vision refers to the ability to see objects and movement outside the direct line of sight. The script discusses a popular speedreading technique that suggests using peripheral vision to take in more visual information at once. However, it is later debunked as biologically impossible due to the limitations of the human eye's structure.

💡Foveal Viewing Area

The foveal viewing area, or fovea, is the central part of the retina where visual acuity is the highest, allowing for detailed vision. The video explains that the foveal area is small and anything outside of it appears too blurry to read, which is why peripheral vision techniques for speedreading are ineffective.

💡Cones and Rods

Cones and rods are photoreceptor cells in the retina responsible for vision. Cones function as high-definition sensors for color and detail, mainly located in the fovea, while rods, located outside the fovea, detect low light and movement but do not provide detailed vision. The script uses these terms to explain why peripheral vision cannot be used effectively for reading.

💡Subvocalization

Subvocalization is the internal voice that 'reads' the text in one's mind as they read. The video mentions that some speedreading techniques advise silencing this internal voice to increase speed. However, research suggests that subvocalization is important for comprehension and eliminating it can decrease understanding.

💡Regressions

Regressions are instances when a reader's eyes move back to previously read text to gain better understanding. The script discusses how some speedreading techniques recommend training to reduce regressions, but research indicates that they are crucial for reading comprehension.

💡Saccades

Saccades are the rapid eye movements that occur when the eyes jump from one fixation point to another while reading. The video explains that saccades are not smooth and that the cognitive processing of the already seen words happens during these movements, which is more important for reading speed than the physical eye movement itself.

💡Comprehension

Comprehension in the context of reading refers to the understanding and interpretation of the text. The video emphasizes that increasing reading speed should not come at the expense of comprehension, and techniques that promise to do so are often contradictory to research findings.

💡Skimming

Skimming is a reading technique where one quickly scans a text to extract important information without reading every word. The script suggests that while skimming can increase reading speed, it may come at a cost to comprehension, and it should be done systematically for best results.

💡Language Processing Skills

Language processing skills involve the cognitive abilities required to understand and interpret language. The video highlights that improving these skills and vocabulary can lead to faster reading speeds without sacrificing comprehension, as familiar words are processed more quickly.

💡Elon Musk Biography

The biography of Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson is used in the script as an example of a text that the narrator attempts to speedread. It serves to illustrate the practical application of speedreading techniques and the challenges one might face in trying to increase reading speed.

Highlights

Anne Jones, a World speedreading Champion, read all 784 pages of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' in just 4 minutes and 7 seconds.

Her reading rate was over 4,200 words per minute, which is an entire page every 3.5 seconds.

The video explores the science of reading and whether there's a 'magic method' for superhuman reading speeds.

Peripheral vision is suggested as a technique for speed reading, but it's biologically impossible due to the limitations of the human eye.

The foveal viewing area is the only part of the retina capable of detailed vision, about the width of a thumb at arm's length.

Eliminating the inner voice while reading, as suggested by some speed reading techniques, can decrease comprehension.

Research shows that subvocalization, or the inner voice, is essential for understanding and can aid word recognition.

Regressions, or moving the eyes back to reread text, are a common and necessary part of reading for comprehension.

Rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) is a technique used in speed reading apps, but research suggests it decreases comprehension.

Saccades are the quick eye movements between words while reading, and they are not a smooth process.

Reading speed is limited more by cognitive processing than by the eye's ability to move along the text.

Language processing skills are key to increasing reading speed without sacrificing comprehension.

Skimming can significantly increase reading speed but may come at the cost of comprehension.

Systematic skimming, such as reading headings and first/last sentences, is more effective than zigzagging the eyes across the page.

Superfast readers like Anne Jones may have exceptional language processing abilities that allow them to skim effectively.

The video concludes that while there are techniques to increase reading speed, the trade-off is often comprehension.

Transcripts

on the 21st of July 2007 World

speedreading Champion Anne Jones took

her place at a desk in a famous London

Bookshop the final installment of Harry

Potter the Deathly Hallows had just

arrived from the publisher and the world

was waiting to find out how the story

ended an had been asked to read it as

quickly as possible by a newspaper so

that they could be the first to write a

review can you guess how long it took

her to read all 784 pages 4 7 minutes

that's a reading rate of over 4,200

words a minute or an entire page every 3

and 1/2

seconds can you read a page like this in

3 and 1/2

seconds

no neither can I just imagine the

possibilities if you could it would be

like magic but this wasn't magic speed

reading courses and techniques have

existed for decades but how can it be

possible when a typical reading speed of

a college educated adult lies between

200 and 400 words per minute can we

really believe that some people read 10

times faster and can anyone learn this

could you let's find out in this video

we're going to explore the science of

reading we'll look at research from the

last 50 years to see if there does exist

a magic method that will enable you to

read and understand at superhuman speeds

but I have to warn you controversy lurks

within some of the speed reading claims

let's get

going have you ever searched for speed

reading techniques if yes you'll

probably know the two most widely

recommended strategies to read faster

and if you haven't I'm about to tell you

can you guess what they

are instead of focusing on a few words

at once some people suggest using

peripheral vision to take in Far More

visual information perhaps as much as a

paragraph or even a page this clever

hack giv gives them the power to peruse

thousands of words per minute and it

makes a lot of sense so why don't we all

do it because it's biologically

impossible I might as well tell you that

to keep my fine physique I bench press a

Tesla Model y three times a day so this

paper explains it really well look at

this so pretty much anything outside of

the fobal viewing area is just too

blurry to read and the F viewing area is

really small it's about the width of

your thumb when you hold it at arms

length out from your eye so that the eye

has two types of light sensitive neural

receptors rods and cones I guess you've

probably heard of them but do you know

what they do cones are the High

Definition True Color sensors that work

better in bright light and can see

detail and color the rods are like an

old TV from the 1950s and can only see

in black and white cones are located

mainly in the fobil area with rods

generally outside Nature has optimized

how the system Works cones transmit

every detail they detect to the brain

information from the rods though is

pulled and then transmitted you can

think of it as a type of lossy file

compression like a grayscale JPEG detail

is not preserved anything falling onto

this part of the eye will be blurred and

if it's a word you won't be able to read

it research has shown that words become

impossible to make out at just 3° visual

angle away from the point of fixation

the suggestion that you can process

large amounts of text in a single glance

according to research is probably not

the case instead we need to look at

sacks they hold the answer do you know

what they are if not don't worry you

soon will but before that do you

remember I said there were two methods

that are widely recommended peripheral

vision is the first which isn't

particularly useful what about the

second you know it's that voice you hear

in your head when reading oh Giles you

are gorgeous uh no not that voice the

voice of the text here's mine Alice was

beginning to get very tired of sitting

by her sister on the bank some speed

reading advice tells us that to read

quickly we must silence this voice

because it limits our maximum reading

speed silencing it will set us free and

this seems plausible although in

practice it can be quite difficult

however if you look at the science and

the research these claims are

questionable why do you read it's to

understand to learn to comprehend I

think we can agree on that and the inner

voice plays an essential role in that

process how do we know several Studies

have shown it this excellent paper

summarizes dozens of them it highlights

Decades of research showing that

eliminating or minimizing the innervoice

results in decreased comprehension

there's also evidence that

subvocalization could play a role in

helping word recognition leading to

increased reading speed this page paper

by the same author hints at that very

possibility more research is needed to

fully understand the role of the inner

voice but from what we already know it's

important it helps you understand it's

your friend you don't know how happy

that makes me Giles as you can see some

of the advice given about speed reading

has very little evidence to support it

worse much of the evidence contradicts

some of the most popular advice do you

ever find that when you're reading you

occasionally have to move your eye back

over something to understand it properly

it's very common most people do it even

skilled readers and they're called

regressions a lot of speed reading

advice suggests you should train

yourself out of doing this as it slows

you down in fact there are speed reading

apps that attempt to completely

eradicate regression by using rapid

serial visual

presentation this is RSVP applied to

hamlets to be or not to be

[Music]

cqu well done you've just read the whole

thing in 5 seconds moving wasn't it

research has been done into this as well

so what do you think could this be a

useful way of reading at extremely high

speeds well in 2014 a team from the

University of California San Diego put

it to the test they used a trailing mask

like this that reacted to the eye

position of the subject once the subject

made a forward sard away from a word it

was masked remaining so even if they

look back at it here the Asis show the

position of eye fixations what did they

find regressions are crucial to

understanding what we read here's what

the paper said our data showing the

relationship between regressions and

reading comprehension are the most

compelling evidence suggesting that

reading without the ability to reread

parts of the text when necessary

decreases comprehension accuracy what we

see here and it's hardly surprising is

that there always exists a trade-off

between speed and comprehension there

are methods that work and we are coming

to those remember I mentioned sards

earlier let's focus on those sards are

the quick eye movements you make as your

focus jumps between words while reading

a line of text understanding these will

help you read more effectively

scientists have spent over a 100 years

studying them and recently by using

high-speed video cameras connected to

computers they've discovered the ey

makes several fixations as it jumps

along a line of text it's not a smooth

process and it's attempting to place

words in the fial region each fixation

last around 250 milliseconds typically

each sack Ard takes 20 milliseconds and

during the entire process of IM movement

although your brain isn't reading it's

constantly processing the already seen

words can you guess what the key finding

from all this researches reading speed

is not limited by the ability of your

eye to move along the line of text or to

take in information it's cognitive

processing that slows you down

subvocalization and regression are both

both necessary to maintain a high level

of comprehension and are frequently used

by skilled

readers now I've done my research I've

seen what not to do can I speedread

let's put it to the test I'm going to

try to speedread the biography of Elon

Musk by Walter Isaacson here goes wish

me

luck oh that was good it's about Elon

Musk so how can you increase your

reading speed without sacrificing

comprehension by far the most important

factor for reading more quickly are your

language processing skills you need to

practice with language remember when we

were talking about sards and fixations

earlier research shows that fixations

are shorter for more familiar words and

some familiar words are skipped over

completely as your language processing

skills and vocabulary increase the

number of words familiar to you will go

up and so will your reading speed there

is a way of signific ific anly

increasing reading speed by two or

perhaps even three times but it does

come with a cost to comprehension

although it can be useful sometimes you

probably already do it but research

might be able to help you do it more

effectively it's skimming when skimming

you're usually looking to extract

important information from a text it's

often suggested that you should zigzag

your eyes across the page or columns but

research shows that this is a poor

strategy it's better to approach it

systematically if it's a book first look

at the table of contents to understand

the structure read headings the first

and last paragraph of each chapter and

if you're focusing on a particular

section the first and last sentence of

each

[Music]

paragraph because the research doesn't

provide explanations into how super fast

readers like Anne Jones who I mentioned

at the start of the video are able to

read at such high speeds and this paper

which which I've used for a lot of the

research in the video it's an excellent

paper and there's a link in the

description acknowledges that and only

speculates as to how it might be

possible it says effective speed readers

appear to be intelligent people who

already know a great deal concerning the

topic that they're reading about and are

able to successfully skim the material

at rapid rates and accept the lower

comprehension that a company's skimming

but from what I've read about Superfast

readers there seems to be more going on

than that because I think for an

ordinary reader like me if I tried to

read at those speeds my comprehension

would go to zero so there's something

that these super fast readers are doing

that we don't completely understand and

I think it's likely to do with language

processing so work on your language

processing and read as much as you can

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