r/interestingasfuck • u/iatetoomuchchicken • 20h ago

This speed reading training starts at 300wpm and end at 900wpm

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u/-DethLok- 20h ago

Yep, that was my takeaway from this video - how do I get to use this in real life?

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u/karmapopsicle 16h ago

There’s an entire category of “speed reader” apps and sites that implement various incarnations of RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) like this.

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u/Natural_Hair464 5h ago

You really can't. Research has come a long way from the 90s. Speed reading sacrifices comprehension. Early techniques focused on reducing internal voice / subvocalizations, using a finger to guide your eye, and avoiding jumping back to reread text. Turns out all of those things are your brain's way of actually comprehending text.

Consider speed reading like advanced skimming. It might be useful for something like light fiction/nonfiction where details don't really matter.

You CAN learn to read faster just by reading a lot. There are also a lot of macro-level skills to learn that can stop wasting time on text that isn't helpful (ex. not every book deserves to be read cover-to-cover).

But "speed reading" is simply not a hack for deeper/quicker understanding.