Is Speed Reading A Real Thing?

Is there a way to hack your reading skills?
Follow Julian on Twitter: / jhug00
Read More:
The Truth About Speed Reading
lifehacker.com/...
“Speed reading has long been a skill peddled by supposed experts, and recently a slew of cheap apps claiming to teach the technique have put it back in the spotlight. So, let's take a look at the claims of speed reading and if it's really possible to read 1,200 words a minute.”
Is Speed Reading Possible?
www.theatlantic...
“The internet is wonderful and terrible in its volume. It allows us to read anything, but it gives us entirely too much to read. That memo. That email. This article. We are all bailing water out of a leaky info-boat.”
Read Speed Test
www.staples.com...
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[@megagene]

My reading speed is painfully slow as well and it always has been, but it's okay because in my head everything I read I hear in Optimus Prime's voice.

[@miamor5929]

megagene 😂😂😎

[@sonykj128]

hey ,if anyone else is searching for how can i read faster try Hopandar Read Quick Helper (just google it ) ? Ive heard some interesting things about it and my colleague got excellent results with it.

[@SumriseHD]

ALWAYS HAS BEENNN

[@antoniostapleton8763]

Lol

[@Cryptonymicus]

1:38 Speed readers couldn't understand more than 75% of what they read. How much do non-speed readers understand? How much do the speed readers understand when they do not speed read?

[@GrammeStudio]

yes you were right in pointing out the bias in not informing that data

[@JoeJones3001]

***** If your average reader had 100% comprehension then everyone would be a genius

[@tokidokitomato2885]

I could be wrong but I feel like I comprehend less than 75% of what I read and I'm not a speed reader, so it makes the speed readers sound like they comprehend just fine. xD.

[@GrammeStudio]

Tokidoki Tomato sometimes i feel like Dnews to need read the comments section and do some tweaking to their original video. it's like peer review. cause some of the stuff said in said section are valid

[@xavmanisdabestest]

Tokidoki Tomato Really?! That's really bad if you're being true. I'd say i'm at probably 90% when I try and read relatively fast and 95+ when I'm reading normally / slowly.

[@JaMaAuWright]

Why would anyone read anything in any voice _but_ Morgan Freeman's? James Earl Jones is an acceptable substitute.

[@logictruth1]

JaMaAuWright because if you read a novel and there are multiple people speaking it might seem weird to make all of them sound like Morgan freeman especially if there's a woman as well...

[@penzette3606]

John Smith or you can remix the morgak freeman voice for each person

[@logictruth1]

BearDoesFun like what you make a helium voice morgan freeman....voice far every female you read about? THIS IS STUPID funny yeah but STUPID xDDD

[@akaking7499]

I read in ether Mark Hammels Joker voice or in Vincent Prices voice!

[@amandaegeskovhald8222]

JaMaAuWright I'd prefer David Attenborough :)Freeman is definitely a good pick too, but I just prefer Attenboroughs voice.

[@ShawnRavenfire]

I'm a pretty slow reader, but I test REALLY well with comprehension. I think that's because I stop after almost every sentence and think about what I just read. It does kind of suck, though, when the books I want to read pile up on me. Also, I tend to get distracted easily, but I think I'm getting better with-- Hey, that's the old set on Julian's shirt!

[@myAgentHQ]

Reading in Morgan Freeman's voice will probably not help you read FASTER. It will, however, make everything you read EPIC, regardless of the material.

[@ninadpathak6399]

I have tried that on couple of occasions. not only it make reading epic but for some reason more memorable !

[@Phoenix_3196a]

I read that in Morgan Freeman’s voice.

[@ChibiQilin]

Speed reading is a thing, and I made use of it quite a bit in university. Now when I think of speed reading, I don't think of "1500 words per minute", but rather reading the fastest possible while eliminating sub-vocalisation AND retaining at least 80% of the information. When tested by one of my professors, I found my optimal speedreading speed to be approximately 900 words per minute while getting at least 80% on a recall quiz immediately after (as opposed to a recognition quiz). If I tried to read at a faster pace, I tended to suffer on the quiz. If I read slower, there wasn't a significant change in marks. When I hear people say they can read 1500 words per minute, I don't doubt that it's possible. I do, however, doubt that specific individual's claim. I'm certain that there are people capable of it, but the number is probably significantly small if you include the caveat of being able to answer thoughtful questions afterwards with significant accuracy.

[@NosceTeIpsum]

Some have the ability, some does not. I have been able to speedread since I was 10, and while comprehension suffered in the beginning, my comprehension is now close to 100% at approx 1000 WPM. But I must admit, that it would be impossible without being able to think abstract thoughts about the text with pictures in my mind, rather than vocalizing a concept. It is kind of hard to explain, but I can make pictures in my mind that corresponds to my analysis of a text in realtime whilst I am speedreading. You simply can't expect your comprehension to be good without immense training, which is why I would not discourage anyone from learning to speedread. It is great when learned properly. On a side note, do not use apps, just train with a book in hand. Make a quick summary of a chapter after speedreading, and if that fails, read again.

[@theloniouscoltrane3778]

I AGREE WITH YOU JULIAN! speed reading will sacrifice comprehension... it's not how many books we have read...it's how much we retained and understood.

[@RomeoCo]

I am capable of speed reading, but my information retention goes right down. When I read at my normal pace I read slow, slower then average, but my retention is really high.

[@wolffoetowtech]

Thats normal . Faster = worse retention & comprehension. slower = better retention & comprehension . People speed read just to get it done .

[@francez123456789]

I can't speed read and I read at a super slow pace and retain almost nothing

[@LuiKang043]

Kinzuko There is to be a balance in the speed of reading, if your mind is to comprehend the meaning. The reading speed should match the comprehension speed of your mind at the moment. Try picking up the speed lightly; that may help.

[@TheAkashicTraveller]

Here's something that's related. Have you noticed that some languages sound faster? Turns out that when speaking a language that uses more words to get across the same amount of information you speak faster. The number of words you can read/hear isn't the bottleneck it's the amount of information you can understand.

[@F1ashingblade]

I read count of Monte Cristo at 600wpm using WordRunner. Although the story went in my head, I just didn't enjoy it. I have the story, characters and plot of it in my head just as much as anyone who has read it normally. But I didn't enjoy the story - it was like a chore of transferring the data on the page to my brain. I love my subvocalization voice, it's my own personal Morgan Freeman / Steven Fry, sitting in a rocking chair and telling me a tale - adding life to characters, making scenarios real.

[@Peidaqsai]

But that's because it's a story. If you want to enjoy the story, it's cool to use the subvocalization, and get your imagination over it. Try reading the news next time, you'll see that you'll understand all of the content without losing comprehension and, after all, you won't need your subvocalization to read it

[@aDotFromTheFuture]

What's the point in reading fast if you miss 35 percent (or more) of the context? I say just read in a steady phase, so that you actually understand what you're reading.

[@SinerAthin]

aDotFromTheFuture Indeed, it's time wasted even if you finish a book in record time if you forgot most of the content anyway :P

[@marcoslion6419]

I speed read (not sure what the currect turn is) everything you typed.

[@SerotoninReis]

slow reading doesnt guarantee 100 per cent comprehension either. most of the time you don't need to comprehend every single detail. 70% comprehension is the sweet spot I think. and many books are filled with trivia you might just as well do without. getting the gist is the key point.

[@frozeneternity93]

When I read its mostly for Leisure. I enjoy “the voice” reading the story to me. I also don't want to miss out on anything that may help set the narrative of the book. Perhaps speed reading wouldn’t miss out on the facts like the door was red or whatever, but what about the emotions and setting and all that jazz that it might miss? If I did a lot of mundane reading for work then it would be a good skill and its would then be awesome if I was able to turn it off at will. BTW 263 words per minute. 5% faster than the national average.

[@joeinsomniac3180]

I read at about 170wpm, which is terrible but I prefer to read at audiobook speeds. It really helps me create an atmosphere and play the story back as if it were a well directed film.

[@xGenGameplays]

I speed watched this

[@rahulfazeclan3975]

Hehe I see what u did there. 2x speed did u understand anything

[@Nhicki]

Rahul faze clan i watch most videos at 1.5x and my native language isnt english i keep up fine, watching long videos is not that bad when sped up :-)

[@hanshotfirst9586]

I actually do that sometimes. If I do something but want to finish the video, or they talk too damn slow i 2x speed xD can usually catch all of it.

[@H0A0B123]

Nicki Heskjær me too . even when i watch anime that i downloaded(some websites don't have that button) i speed it.. it saves time.

[@LuiKang043]

Damnit! Why is there no such feature for the mobile version of KZbin?! :(

[@elchappytan59]

I feel like we need to see Julian and Julia together in a video again, you know, for science.

[@CabbageSandwich]

I can ship that.

[@FocusMrbjarke]

+meepo44fromroblox 🛳

[@ThePhynix85]

Julian hit me up with the idea of letting Morgan Freeman be the voice in my mind when reading. Now this is just plain awesome.

[@pauls7056]

I thought 75% comprehension @600 words sounds fantastic, actually, for I doubt a normal reading speed would be more - and we were not told about this. That said, the other criticisms seem fair. Great video.

[@AlexTheMary]

I do speed read sometimes and my comprehension retention, as you said, depends on the context of the material. If it's basic and simple context my retention doesn't suffer. If it's more complex material I actually retain nothing. My brain literally just shuts down and I have to go back and read it again slowly, and sometimes out loud to jump start my brain again.

[@BoilingDietCoke]

Same. I just try and read 2 words at a time. So I don't back track. Like, “It is, or is it“ I pause on “but, or, and, etc“, and re-read.

[@GothAlice]

I use a combination of techniques: I have a series of memory palaces organized as a binary tree (left/right paths through the scenes) tied to the physical muscle memory of tapping my left index finger to the tip of my thumb for "left" and middle finger and thumb for "right". (Closing a fist to go back.) This makes recall of some pretty complex information as simple as a few twitches of my hand and the imagery arranged in those mental scenes. Secondly, for getting information in there, I use a three-word flash system (staring at the centre word), which can get my WPM up to about 1200 or so before I start _really_ losing comprehension. I tested myself after reading the 600 page "HTTP The Definitive Guide" in one night by writing a complete web server from scratch the day after. (And after sleeping on it to let it sink in.) This was pretty technical material and was a great way to advocate to my other programmer friends that such techniques _can_ work, especially when combined.

[@KipperTheArt]

Speed reading is useful for trying to find something specific in a large book or passage by looking for key words and phrases. It's also useful for very last-minute homework/studying that you should have done last night, but were too busy watching DNews to bother with.

[@Ricokz]

+Johnny Luken Except that's not how it works and speed reading kills your comprehension.

[@JesusPedroza]

I really enjoy reading that's why I was always weary of people who "read fast". I'd ask questions and people would miss what they read, not recall reading it, or even go as far as making stuff up. I think most people do those things when they just pass through reading things quickly. As if reading fast is perceived to equate to intelligence or aptitude for soaking in knowledge, when the opposite is true. I think this is also true of people who have a propensity to read things more literally than with literary scope. Anyways, read at the pace you want in order to understand what is written. Faster is not better when it comes to reading. Think of a good meal, you want it to be over quickly without savoring every bite?

[@YIHPrincessFannyMagnificatV]

I know heh..... by the way, Any poetry lately?

[@JesusPedroza]

Fanny Magnificat right? Haha. Any poetry that I've read or written? I posted one a few days ago, its in Spanish though.

[@YIHPrincessFannyMagnificatV]

written... cool... I 'll check it out!!! I speak Spanish too !!!

[@JesusPedroza]

Awesome! Thank you Fanny Magnificat!!!

[@AlexanderBollbach]

how do you explain that guy on youtube who reads 2-3 lines at a time and breezes through pages like Good Will Hunting? he's been on tv dozens of times and will read 20 pages in something like one minute and answer questions about the information. is it all just an act? like Uri Gellar bending spoons?

[@Zsoltosz1]

Probably he has a sligtly diferent and special brain. He can do it, but average people cant. We all ar diferent. Som more than others.

[@MegurokoSylveon]

It´s a neurological defunfiction in his brian that allows him to do that! his brian simply is born that way while 99% of the world is not.

[@AlexanderBollbach]

so his brain is super fast at processing word, sentences, paragraphs? in additino to having the talent of reading 3000 wpm or whatever ridiculous rate he reads at he also has to be smart enough to comprehend the literature at 16x speed. also his eyes have none of those peripheral limitations they mention in this video? or he simply scans faster seems impossible but i guess he does it some how

[@Cryptonymicus]

Meguroko Sylveon What exactly is a "defunfiction"? Dysfunction?

[@MegurokoSylveon]

Cryptonymicus Sorry for the spelling but it´s mean when something is not "normal" in the brian So it means that the Genetic disorder can result in both good and bad results in the brian like his speed reading skills or in the worse case someone becomes retarded.

[@Russel172]

I can read pretty fast but after like 30 mins I cant remember most of the things I read so I limit myself reading too fast for specific situations

[@333angeleyes]

I loved how you mentioned they didn't want to allow anyone to see the research and how you mentioned that studies not sponsored by the people selling the speed reading... DNews I think you should do this more, it tells us a lot about such claims and research, and hopefully we'll remember it when we look up the things you talk about on our own.

[@JoyboyPs_Reviews]

I know the feeling, I'm such a slow reader it held me back in every subject in school. As for the voice in my held, it's mine unless my imagination takes over and give a character it's own voice. This happen the most when a character's lines are righten in an "accent", kind of forcing you to make a voice up for them.

[@markotark]

English is my 3rd language and i read it at around 600wpm with around 90% comprehension, according to several tests. But then again, i read so much more english content daily than other texts in my 1st language, Finnish, that i might be a faster reader in a foreign language than my own... Now, if only i could speak english without a thick Finnish accent. EDIT: According to the text linked in the description, i read at 500wpm, with 100% comprehension. Meaning that i'm 98% faster reader than the average American, and i read at a level that is between college students and executives. And this is the result of a basic 9-year education in Finland.

[@AnstonMusic]

markotark Näyttää suomalaisen koulutusjärjestelmän potentiaalin. Shows the potential of the Finnish school system.

[@JoyboyPs_Reviews]

Andy Flow [Music Producer] Brihoof /)

[@JoyboyPs_Reviews]

I'm English and I'm learning Japanese. I can read Hiragana about as fast as I can English and I definitely can't improve my speed for either, I know I've tried and failed.

[@plasticguitar]

Congratulations. Do you want a cookie?

[@markotark]

plasticguitar Do you have some Jammie Dodgers?

[@eshan309]

One of the good way to memorize for your exams: Do speed reading of 2-3 sentences or maybe whole paragraph. Just read it. Doesnt matter if you are understanding or not. Now do that again with your normal speed. You would actually memorize it easily. Speed reading, though wont register anything in your brain, but when you read the same in your normal speed, it actually starts to make sense what you just read.

[@hanshotfirst9586]

Theory as to the voice inside your head. It is your voice, but just yours from when you were little. When we first start learning to read. It's the voice you read with from 4 until 14 until you hit puberty and your voice changes. You heard it for so long, and from a young age, that it is programmed in.

[@rakeshm1449]

Speed reading hurt me really bad. While preparing for GRE exam I practice speed reading and it helped at that time. But now I found out that while writing an sentence I forget to write a particular word in my sentence even I thought of including it in my sentence. So I thought of cross checking every word again and again but still due to my habit of speed reading I still miss that mistake.

[@wolffoetowtech]

Speed reading = human brain glitch

[@SEG.]

I find the quickest "reading" for me is pulling it up on my laptop, set the speech-function to the fastest time before it becomes undesirable and following the text with eyes. It like you said removes sub-vocalization (which cripples me immensely like "50 words a minute" bad) to a steady 2000 words a minute were I can memorize 90% of it. I personally use "Alex" for my Macbook and have it short-keyed to "Option + Z" for quick succession.

[@zephaniahgreenwell8151]

You can switch to skimming for new articles. When writing for the newspaper, many times the article is expanded or contracted to account for space (which is determined by ad sales and not the actual amount of news). This ad based method still holds true online, with most articles being click bait titles and actual content after the first ad break in the page. If an article has 3 pages or more, likelihood is that they're there for more pageviews and not because of the exhaustive analysis of the author.

[@michaelgwin4385]

Says the outsider. You forget, our brains are muscles. We can eventually adapt to anything. Especially taking in large amounts of information. Our subconscious brain is very powerful. It's not about remembering every word thats said, it's about taking in the main meanings. The good thing about being able to store large amounts information at a fast rate is, it's like adding YEARS to your life. The more information we take in, the more opportunities seem to present themselves.

[@mdr48371]

Back in MY DAAAYY they had this thing called CliffsNotes.

[@kken8766]

i read novel for more than 6 hours a day for 17 years... And these are my results: - my reading speed hasn't much improve..well, at least not after the first year. - my eyes glass went from 300 to 1000 now. - my comprehension and short term retention skill became awesome. (this meaning that i can present the materials i read very well by just looking at it once.) - however, after reading so many novels, i normally lose memory of the novel details (especially the name, title, and the characters) after 2 weeks. Unless the novel is really really awesome. oh... and i read them in Chinese..

[@InMaTeofDeath]

This won't work for everything obviously but I've switched to audiobooks. While I may read faster on my own this way I can read while doing other things, like now I never listen to music while I drive, I listen to audiobooks. I can even play certain games on my PC while listening and still take everything in.

[@Arbmosal]

As someone who has practiced some speed reading I have to say this: In a lot of cases you don't need more than 60-70% comprehension. Reading a random novel at your grandma's house? Just skim it, you will still understand the core of the plot. Wanna judge if an article is as interesting as the title? Just skim it, you will know if reading it carefully is worth it, or which parts of it are. Wanna read a scientific paper, or a math book or so? Your reading speed has probably never been the bottle neck, but the comprehension itself. Don't bother speed reading but taking out pen&paper. "Don't just read it, fight it!" (-P.R. Halmos)

[@shadowsniper5303]

Using the Staples Certified WPM test, I can read 991 wpm (Which is better then 225% of the US and MUCH faster then a college professor). Here is a tip for people who are slower then me. When you read, try to look at at least 10 words for a second, then close the book, and try to recite the words. That is good for practicing, but don't do it all the time. It's also good to train moving your eye fast. I can do it super fast, and if you can, too, then even if you can only look at 1 word at a time and be able to comprehend it properly, then you'll be able to speed up your reading. These are things that help me, but apparently, my eyes have a weird problem that actually helps me read faster, and the bad thing is that my head hurts worse then normal if I try to read big words by putting the book right next to me eyes.

[@coolspot56]

Another very important aspect to consider is the complexity of what is being read. Glamour magazine is much easier to read than Nature magazine. Familiar words are easier to read than foreign ones.

[@TheMoni700]

I think my reading voice is my voice, but I don't know if I really hear anything when I am reading. For me, I see the words on the page, and their meaning, but silently, without any voice. I feel that way when I am writing as well.

[@petraarkian7720]

I took the test on all 3 passages and got 554, 1012, and 773 words per minute getting all 3 questions right. (the super fast one was from the wizard of oz so I was already set to go) I've always been a fast reader, but my score seemed surprisingly high...

[@stiimuli]

I've known for a long time that the voice pronouncing words in my head as i read was slowing me down but I just can't make it stop. As for who's voice it is, strangely, it becomes whatever voice I most recently heard. Right now the voice I hear in my head pronouncing these words is the voice in the above video.

[@jaimie00]

Neil Gaiman is the guy in my head. Sometimes I don't even have to be reading. He'll narrate my life in an amusing, slightly sarcastic way. And I can hear all those commas he's using. About half the stuff I "read" is in audiobook format. I get more reading done while doing other things. And certain narrators are just soothing for me. Neil Gaiman always works. I'm getting over the worst of PTSD, but still have huge anxiety problems, and I find listening to Neil Gaiman is far more effective than Xanax, so I listen to his books a lot, and always have them ready. Having him narrate everything else, including potions of my life, is the only side effect.

[@daviestj]

The voice in my head changes depending on what I'm reading. For example, if I'm reading some fanfiction based on a cartoon I like, the voices will be the character voices I heard from the show.

[@MonsiorTortoise]

I decided to try speed reading for the first time, whilst on the bus to town! I read "Cutting Edge game programming with C++" at 600 pages and "A new history of the Picts" at 191 pages in 2 hours

[@mimojimi]

xD

[@joedirty550]

ok so i'm a fast reader when ever i read... Does that mean that im constantly speed reading? If it does then how come i can easily remember and understand everything i read?

[@kurtlindner]

Julian, stay the course. I agree speed reading is a fast track to sloppy-reading. I remember the first time I made it through an audio version of The Mahabharata -and even that being audio I didn't start to comprehend the deeper points, and tie-ins, until the 7th read (listen) through. Comprehension should be the primary goal of reading, not the action.

[@mattzx003]

I'm a University student and I got 216 WPM. Whats more troubling is that I read War of the Worlds several times in my youth, so I was familiar with the contents of the passage before I even read it. Apparently my cognitive abilities are matched by the average 6th grader.

[@alanthomas9618]

I've always been able to read quite quickly without employing any of the mentioned methods except not doing the subvocalizition. At my normal pace I read at around 850 words per minute and when I try I go over 1000. Also, according to tests I lose no comprehension. Explanations? This has been this way since I was 8.

[@Tomogotchii]

I can recommend beeline reader for articles on the internet or pdfs for college and university. It colors the lines so that you time switching from one line to the next is happening more fluently. It really help me read faster and I too suffer from being usually a slow reader among my friends.

[@SteinGauslaaStrindhaug]

I don't think I always have an inner voice, even when reading. When reading novels only the characters thoughts and what they say seem to be spoken in my mind. The characters lines is voiced in an appropriate voice for their character of any sex, gender, accent (but not my own); while descriptions form pictures directly in my mind. Also only when I'm thinking meta thoughts (thinking about thinking) and other abstract stuff, and about what I'm about to say or want to say, I hear an inner voice (usually my own voice then). I know I definitely don't think in words at all when thinking about music or playing an instrument: then i just think melody. And I don't think I usually think verbally most of the time when programming, then I think in patterns. Also I'm a quite slow reader, though it has improved since I've gotten glasses (turns out pixels on my screen isn't blurry horizontally)...

[@jonassamuel4376]

Well as a student, reading slow completely eats up your freetime. well but with very difficult texts you can't read at max speed anyways, for example complex philosophical works sometimes need up to 10 minutes per page.

[@j.t.hartzfeld1368]

I'm a pretty slow reader, but I remember EVERYTHING that I read, once I've read it. Also, I've worked really hard for a while to make it Michael Dorn's voice in my head.

[@sac22833]

Having learned how to read Chinese. I thought about how the difference in the length of words in each language can also affect reading speed. I wonder if there was any research done on that?

[@asiyahaali]

I've seriously been missing Julian. When I saw it was him, I shouted, "Yasss, Julian!" Lol. I'm Trinidadian, but I hear a British accent in my head when I read. Who's voice is that?!

[@MrGurushit]

I've decided to just read the headlines or start reading an article just until A) I either get it (the general point), or B) I perceive that they are wasting my time and I'll just ask or look somewhere else, or if I choose to just drop it until I get a chance to read later because I probably could spend my time pursuing something more meaningful in the moment. Ever try Epsom salt in your bath?

[@flipwarrior]

I tried speed reading and was able to read at 600 wpm, but I found I lost much of the artistry of the authors' writing. Enjoying a book is not just about the semantic details; it is about seeing the choice of words, subtle pauses, and nuances of the sentences. I missed all that, and reading bacame a much more mechanical experience. Now I read at a much slower pace, even letting my sub-voice be creative. It is a much more enjoyable experience.

[@raywillaimjhonson]

I read 1000 pages per second.

[@haarycane3596]

Dark Vader tell me your secrets

[@lightsidemaster]

Haary Cane Use the force?!

[@deividasripkus6688]

how you change that fast page?

[@leeroy14r60]

forces speed

[@MsYoruichi1]

I speed read. People are always on my case saying I can't comprehend or even know what I read (But I understand it and they get what it's about wrong?). If I go too slow or slower at all, I can't focus on it :/ Anyone else have this problem? My tip for reading faster? Expand your vocabulary. Then you won't have to reread or figure it out with context clues. Speed readers can't comprehend well? Say that to all As in English Comp. In fact, I got my grade today and it's a 99! And I sped read everything! (gotta get my 100 though :/)

[@AdrianRodriguez-kq8cg]

when i read for pleasure i average around 750, with a 80-99 comprehension rate months later, when i intentionally "speed read" i hit the 900s with a severe headache and about 75 percent comprehension as the end result. i almost never subvocalise most of the time i dont even remember turning pages

[@liberkhaos5978]

I'm a... reader! I have no idea what my speed is nor do I care. I thought the only way to read faster was to read more and get better at it. I can do skim reading but I only use it on "interesting" articles which no one expects me to remember so as to get the big idea without wasting time. And the voice in my head is my own, I'm boring like that.

[@SpaceCakeism]

Well, I used to read a lot, like up to several hours a day, though I can't say that I read as much anymore. However, what I mostly read was Wikipedia articles, chat text, and random things I've "googled" out of curiosity , but I haven't really read many books. Actually, I think I've only finished reading about three or four "real" books, which is at least "The Hobbit," "Fight Club," and "Harry Potter - and the philosopher's stone," as far as I can recall. So whenever I read something which interested me, I'd read it really slow, like maybe 50 words/m, sometimes maybe even less, I don't really know. However, after reading it that slow, if I ever were asked a question about the subject, I could recall most of it, several years later. Though this was before I fell victim to somewhat of a pretty bad memory loss due to vitamin B12 deficiency. Even though my memory is far better than what it was during that period, it's still not what it used to be. Though during the period I had B12 deficiency, I can still barely recall anything but a few flashes here and there, and that it was dark, and cold, as it was during winter. For what it's worth, I can read quite a bit faster. Though as you stated, I kinda miss out on the context, as well as I forget some parts of the text. Which means that if I wish to know the context, and remember the text, I'd have to read the whole thing again. I actually did a few tests with this, to find out about my own reading preference. From this I figured out; that if I read at a slower pace than normal: I can read something only once, rather than three or more times, and remember it quite well. However, I also tend to read the same sentence many times, though faster when doing this, and not all the time, which might have something to do with the remembering part. Honestly, I find it kind of weird, considering that I used to hate school. Though I'd spend a lot of my free time just reading articles on Wikipedia. It's not the hating of the school which I don't understand, as most you learn prior to high school is quite uninteresting. Its the part where I'd spend the whole day just reading, that I find it hard to understand. Especially as I feel as though I'd more likely do it as the person I am now, rather than who I was five-ten years ago. Though I do understand the point and purpose of learning language, math, science, and some history. I think that there's quite a lot unnecessary things I've learned during that period, most of which I have already forgotten. However, they don't really teach you to think in school, so honestly I think that philosophy would be a good addition to the curriculum, or that it rather should be something you could at least chose. The same goes for a lot of different things, that I'd rather learn, as opposed to learning about religions, especially since I'm ... very~... not religious myself.... Well, I guess I've scribbled my thoughts for quite a while now, so it's 'baut time I end it, and thanks if you actually read all of this, for what it's worth.

[@tosoledo]

They could use a text-to-voice program like Ivona reader. You can also choose the voice that you prefer. I chose a British accent.

[@rift0tripper]

I always wondered if reading text/article/ fb status on the web activate your brain the same when you read a book?

[@TheMoni700]

I am a average reader. I prefer reading slowly to absorb the information. I feel like some people read too fast and they dont take to thoroughly enjoy what they are reading. I have read books in one day, and it is disappointing because I feel like I didn't get a chance to really enjoy or appreciate or had a chance to enjoy what I was reading.

[@bcdcool94]

Some times I the voice is my own, when I was in high school it would often be my current English teacher. I also like Morgan Freeman to be the voice in my head when I read as well as Liam Neeson. There is also James Marsters, after listening to his audio book performances, and Totalbiscuit(a.k.a. John Bain). Although lately I have been adopting the no sub vocalization method, so no voices I when I am reading for school. Is it weird there are so many voices?

[@sumiranmathur9938]

"Chew on an idea and really understand it"...... that is what one should focus on rather than reading a whole lot and not understanding any of it.

[@lukaravlic9398]

How strong is Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland?

[@Anna_65]

Interesting, but what about photo reading? Does it work?

[@Guylock]

Haste makes waste right? and the voice could be related to the subconscious?

[@JamesSkuzz]

@1:36 75% is still more than good enough vs wasting weeks on just 1 book. Why is DNews always such a downer in spite of everything?

[@TheXDsunny]

.

[@JamesSkuzz]

+TheXDsunny You misunderstand. I'm saying that even if you only comprehend 75% it's still good enough!

[@Servum24]

1:36 "One study tested 16 speed readers and found that they couldn't understand more than 75% of what they were reading at over 600 words per minute".

[@Servum24]

+Not Me Thanks for pointing that out. For some reason, I thought that he said that they didn't understand more than 75%. So much for comprehension lol.

[@paulinetaylor1682]

Can speed readers answer questions about the book if you ask them?

[@MrEhabYounes]

A lot of people have given speed reading bad reputation, what they don't understand is BEFORE you learn speed reading you should learn to create "visual markers" (in layman's term it's the ability to "turn" or create images based on the text, e.g. the word happy - you picture someone close to you smiling or is happy..) and then linking them so you they don't get lost in your mind. you can see Picture superiority effect in Wikipedia. There is a course on Udemy called: Become a Superlearner: Learn Speed Reading & Advanced Memory. it explains everything. www.udemy.com/superlearning-speed-reading-memory-techniques/ And at the end of the course you'd be able to read with 700 wpm with more than 90% comprehension if you train for 6 weeks and 1000 wpm with 85% comprehension if you train for 10 weeks. (yes, comprehension drops when you go faster but you can always adjust as you need to!). So no, there is no speed reading "hack", but if you are interested you can check the course (I am currently in the 3rd week). and it's not a fast and easy way, you have to train hard, but it's all worth it!

[@seal3081]

For me speed reading is skimming. There is value in skimming. Reading news articles finding sections of a reference book that matters then reading those parts slowly. Or as a precursor to actually reading the passage skimming it beforehand.

[@ClemensJason]

I once was suggested to read a lot, making my reading fluency better, which actually works

[@dustee2680]

I might be even slower at reading books - i get easily distracted, i sometimes drift into thought about that scene and realize that i have actually stopped reading 2minutes later, sometimes i just need to reread sections to understand them better and im just generally slow... But i love reading nonetheless and do not care if i am slow since its for my own enjoyment not for school or work. I would hate compromising comprehension just so i would get more speed, thats just dumb in my opinion.

[@LinwoodLongstrive]

Funny that you say your brain starts to hurt when you reed to fast. I am dyslectic and a very slow reader (never tested it but if feels just slow) and to keep up with schoolwork I listen to the text by a auto reading program. With the program I can speed the reading up to normally 275 words per minute and if I listen to it longer then 10 minutes I get a headache. I need to stop reading for a few minutes before I start again.

[@alveolate]

hey julian, hope this isn't too personal, but what degree are your glasses? they seem to produce a pronounced googly eye effect :P

[@REbones714]

Lights candles in the bath to read... You know damn well that's not what you do when you're in the bathroom. We don't blame you if Julia is on your mind ;D

[@cramos14021]

DNEWS! you guys should make a video on Audio books vs Reading.

[@amyyb3926]

I saw somewhere that you can read languages like Chinese and Korean faster than English because the characters are taller and shorter (so your eyes don't travel across the page that much)....also Chinese words do not have alphabet like most languages and doesn't require you to sound it out to know the meaning, u just memorize all of them by the shape so you don't really need a voice inside your head

[@jaysonsk]

I speed read when I read fanfiction and it does sometimes limit my comprehension, fortunately I am usually familiar with the source material so it doesn't matter much. if I am reading something completely new while speed reading I will be able to comprehend and retain most information but will miss small things sometimes. I didn't learn speed reading intentionally I just read a lot and after a while started to read faster. I can usually read a hundred thousand word fanfiction in two or three hours. I use three methods mentioned in this video, subvocalizing, skimming and taking in large chunks of text.

[@amandaegeskovhald8222]

I'm slow as balls when I read, and I often have to read the same text a few times to fully understand it. And it's my own voice. 100% my own. Even if I give characters different voices in my head it still sounds like me altering my voice as if I read it out loud.

[@bin4ry_d3struct0r]

I have spent a few hundred dollars on speed reading training and materials. The views expressed in this video pretty much sum up my experience. Eliminating sub-vocalization does help speed things up noticeably, but you definitely don't want to do that with highly technical material. Harry Potter, no problem. Software engineering... yeah, good luck with that. The idea of reading chunks of two, three, four lines of text at a time sounds ridiculous and probably equivalent to skimming. Try it with the above paragraph I wrote and see for yourself. Finally, some unbiased research has been done on this subject. It saddens me, but I always kinda knew it was too good to be true.

[@JNCressey]

1:35 'couldn't understand more than 75% of what they were reading' So is that they understand less than 75% and can't get more than that, or is it that they misunderstood more than 75% (meaning understanding less than 25%)?

[@tkvsevolod]

I read everything in Richard Dawkins voice.

[@ResanChea]

But really I just relive that the voice in my head sound nothing like me

[@hpgildwel]

I always read with a british black man reading to me in my head. No name, just a deep powerful voice with a british accent on american english.

[@galaxyvlogs6354]

Is it just me or wen i read to my self i skip like a sentence in a book but wen i read outloud i dont

[@BoilingDietCoke]

No. They scan words, fill in blanks of normally used words between verb, noun, adjective, etc...tenses... It is a talent you learn. But they do actually get a lot wrong. E.g. My ex-gf said she was, I tested her after 4 months, and she'll get half the sentence wrong because of nuances and change of tone going from a joke to a character's definite meaning. “I love walking in the park, because picking up dog crap while other dogs try to play is difficult for my puppy.“ She thought my puppy was eating crap. It was a text message.

[@yehonatanV.]

How about a video about internal monologue (a.k.a subvocalization)?It's not that known how or why it's possible.

[@theveganho8059]

Okay. I LOVE all DNEWS. I have a question on this topic though. Does reading an actual book and listen to an audio book has the same effects to our brain?

[@LiteraryStoner]

I get a bit of range with different reading speed tests, 181-249. The slower ones, a 181 and 201, I slowed down like I generally do in order to take in what I read. I can't comprehend what i'm reading if I read too fast and don't give myself time to process it all. Apparently i'm average or a bit slow, depending on the site...after this video though i'm not sure I should care. Some stuff I saw said the faster someone reads the more they comprehend...uh...what?! Am I weird or is that indeed very very wrong? The faster I read the LESS I understand and remember, not more! Comprehension over speed I say, like quality over quantity. What's the point in reading fast if I can't remember anything? And yeah...who is that voice?! XD

[@Tony-lp8hy]

idk if this reading speed test i took is correct, i read 1723 words per minute?!

[@rickslingerland1155]

The vice in your head is Bob. He's in mine, too!

[@BenReillySpydr1962]

Can you guys do a video on how savants do it?

[@louisng114]

No Audible ad?

[@Dragondude2525]

I'm an English and History student, I get massive amounts of readings to do. I can't speed read for shit! Any time I try, comprehension and retention go out the window. If it was me reading a book for leisure then I don't care as much and read the book faster. When I'm doing research for an essay I tend to re-read entire paragraphs 2-3 times each

[@undeadmuffin]

I'm very slow at reading. I can't recall my exact word count, but I do recall that the test said I read as fast as the average 3rd grader. My comprehension on the other hand is 92%-100%. My wife can read about 6 pages of a book by the time I read 1, yet she can't recall most of what she just read. She gets the overall picture of what is going on, but not the subtle details that point towards a plot twist later on in the book. I wish I could read as fast as her, but I don't want to give up my comprehension either. So I guess I'm stick to my super slow ass reading skills and never get a chance to read all the books that I want in my life. EDIT: I saw the test thing here are my slow ass results. You read 123 words per minute. That makes you 51% slower than the national average.

[@SirAmicVarze]

It's to be expected. Reading quicker than where you're naturally at will always hurt your comprehension. I'd imagine that there _are_ legitimate ways to speed up how quickly you read, but the gains aren't going to be very significant.

[@zxa96]

Spritz is a pretty cool thing you can use for speed reading.