Slow-reading movement and faster brains
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
The benefits of the "slow reading" movement.
We are probably all aware of the "DIY" trend — people making things themselves from scratch rather than purchasing them. My writer friend Jennifer Worick picked up on this several years ago when she wrote a book called The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life, which provided "pioneer projects for the modern girl."
Interestingly, this "back to basics" movement is affecting reading. In a piece a few months ago, The Wall Street Journal reported on the "slow reading" movement. The book described groups of people, including one particular group in New Zealand, that gather to sit together in a quiet place and read: no distractions, no electronics, no conversation. Just reading.
Studies show that reading is good for your brain. It helps you concentrate, think through problems and improve your memory. It reduces stress. One study from Science magazine quoted in the Journal story says that ". . . reading literary fiction helps people understand others' mental states and beliefs, a crucial skill in building relationships." That's very exciting news for me, indeed! And if that doesn't excite you, I certainly understand how you feel. :)
I talk to a lot of people about books. I talk to friends and I talk to strangers. Seriously, if I see you anywhere out in public reading a book, I'm liable to come up and ask you what you're reading and how you like it. And in my many reading-related convos with various folks, here's what I hear a lot: "I'm too busy to read." Or another one that I'm hearing more these days: "I don't have time to read until I get in bed at night, and then I open a book and, within a few pages, I fall asleep." So sad.
Now there may be studies that indicate that reading is a cure for insomnia, but I haven't found them, and they don't really interest me right now. An article on lifehack.org says: "reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." We should take all those bits of advice we hear from health pundits about getting 20 minutes of exercise a day and apply them to reading.
Slow reading, linear reading, reading without electronic links or distractions, reading in a quiet environment, preferably from a print book, is what numerous experts recommend.
I think I'll start a Slow Reading Group in my new Open Bookstore. Email me if you want to attend. I'll provide the cups of tea and we'll share some quiet time together and expand our brains!
