Seven years ago, I delved into the world of speed reading, inspired by various books and articles. My initial experiments were promising, doubling my reading speed from 450 to 900 words per minute. This led me to publish an article titled “Double Your Reading Rate,” which quickly became popular. However, my enthusiasm was based solely on personal experience and the methods I had read about, lacking any solid scientific backing.
Over time, doubts began to creep in. I noticed some research that made me skeptical about the effectiveness of speed reading programs. My reading habits also shifted from lighter self-help books to denser academic texts, where comprehension became more critical than speed. This prompted me to revisit the topic and conduct thorough research to uncover the truth about speed reading.
The idea that one can read 20,000+ words per minute is anatomically and neurologically impossible. Reading involves a process where the eye stops at a part of the text (fixation), moves quickly to the next point (saccade), and the brain processes the visual information. Eye-movement expert Keith Rayner argues that even surpassing 500 words per minute is unlikely due to the mechanical limitations of eye movements and visual processing.
Speed reading proponents claim they can bypass these limitations by taking in more visual information per saccade. However, the fovea, the part of the eye that resolves details, is quite small, limiting the amount of information processed per fixation. Additionally, the brain’s working memory can only hold 3-5 chunks of information at a time, making it impossible to parse multiple lines simultaneously.
Systems like Spritz attempt to eliminate the need for saccades by displaying each word in the same spot on the screen, allowing the eye to remain fixed. While this gives the impression of faster reading, independent, peer-reviewed research to substantiate these claims is lacking. Working memory constraints still apply, as the brain needs time to process words, and without pauses, comprehension suffers.
The evidence suggests that reading speeds above 500-600 words per minute result in significant comprehension loss. My own experience of reading at 900 words per minute likely involved a trade-off in understanding, masked by the redundancy in the texts I was reading. The average college-educated reader reads at 200-400 words per minute, indicating that while doubling one’s reading rate is possible, it is a hard upper limit.
Some studies show moderate speed gains through training, with students quadrupling their speed or speed reading experts reaching around 600 words per minute. However, these gains often come at the cost of comprehension. Speed reading techniques may make you a faster reader, but not necessarily a better one.
One of the most dangerous speed reading dogmas is the idea that subvocalization should be avoided. Subvocalization, the inner voice that speaks the words as you read, is essential for comprehension. Even expert speed readers subvocalize, albeit faster than untrained readers. Eliminating this inner voice is not possible if you want to understand what you’re reading.
Another technique I previously recommended was using a pointer to guide the eyes. However, studies suggest that this method functions more as a pacing device rather than improving eye fixations.
If speed reading isn’t the answer, how can one read better and faster? Here are a few tips:
1. **Skim Before You Read**: Skimming a text before reading it can improve comprehension by providing an overview of the content.
2. **Improve Fluency**: Fluent word recognition is crucial for faster reading. Reading more of a particular type of text can help you recognize words faster.
3. **Know Your Goals**: Understanding what you want to get out of a text before reading it can help you focus on relevant information.
4. **Deeper Processing**: For full comprehension and retention, engage in deeper processing tasks like taking paraphrased notes or rewriting information as questions for self-quizzing.
In conclusion, my initial article on speed reading hasn’t aged well. While I still teach speed reading, I now emphasize it as a form of intelligent skimming rather than a method to significantly increase reading speed without comprehension loss. I apologize to readers who may have had unrealistic expectations about speed reading. My goal is to continually research and share new ideas, even if it means revisiting and correcting past beliefs.
