I love to read but feel like I have to pretty much be in peak mental condition to fully appreciate a novel, which is pretty rarely. Meanwhile I will waste hours on reddit no matter how tired, sick, or sad I am. I wonder why because they’re both reading. Maybe because looking at reddit is more skimming? It does feel like the brain processes it differently. I wonder if other people here feel the same.
This, but with chapter-by-chapter webnovel or webcomic. I can jump around in those so easily, and there are so many stopping points. It makes reading an actual book, even on a phone (though that’s easier) feel like such a bigger commitment. Maybe it’s also because while reading on the internet instead of a book app, it seems like I’m less locked in? I have ADHD so this may all be overthinking, but that’s my reasoning.
Because Reddit is YA.
Okay, that made me nose-giggle
I think it might have something to do with attention spans, Reddit posts tend to be a lot shorter than book chapters. I remember reading somewhere shorter chapters makes books easier to read possibly for the same reason.
I don’t really have trouble focusing on reading books or feel like it takes a particularly large exertion of effort. However, I certainly don’t feel like all acts of reading written words are exactly the same in terms of how my mind is processing info.
It is a different process and long form reading is much more engaging for your brain. Even reading bad books is good for you
Takes focus. It gets easier the more time is spent offline. Meditation helps me, along with listening to audiobooks and reading graphic novels as well.
Shorter books are nice.
As much as I like reddit, that and Twitter and others destroy your ability to focus.
Attention span.
Reddit is a good social and informative source for me. Books are my life and require total immersed enjoyment. Reddit can occupy half of my day if it is a fascinating topic. I generally can go through 2 or 3 300- 400 pp Books using total concentration that means no TV , Reddit or any other distraction. Above mentioned means number of Books per day I can read. Apologies , my cell seems to be capitalizing words randomly. When reading , I try to picture a continuous story.
How we use the internet has physically rewired our brains and changed how we take in and process visual and written language stimuli. (In 1 study, as little as 5 hours of Internet usage was enough to produce observable brain activity changes.)
I would recommend you read The Shallows by Nicholas Carr to learn more, but… You know, books are hard.
Reddit is dopamine hunting. Reading a book is not.
I feel the same quite often. And I guess, as many people say, part of is that reading requires you to keep your attention all the time, while going through reddit just does not.
But a big part for me is, when I’m tired I don’t want to get emotionally invested in something. And a proper book certainly requires that. I just don’t have enough bandwidth left to read something I’m actually interested in. With reddit, even if I’m reading some high drama post, I don’t get invested in it. I finish and skip to the next. So it is easier.
A big part of it is that Reddit has a variable ratio reward mechanism and reading (a book you like) has a fixed ratio reward mechanism.
The fact that most Reddit posts are meh, but sometimes it’s awesome makes your brain zing the same way that a slot machine does.
Rats will obsessively push a button that gives variable ratio rewards, but only push the button occasionally when it provides fixed ratio rewards
Give a book the same attention you give your phone.
I can relate. I didn’t have this issue until the pandemic, and all the nonstop doomscrolling and election uncertainty just shredded my attention span. I don’t have a solution, just wanted to offer a possible explanation and commiserate. I hope this change is temporary.
Because I can generally read reddit perfectly well by smooshing my face right up against my phone. If I try that with a book I get paper cuts.
Anyway what are we talking about