Are We Still Capable of Deep Reading?
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
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Are we losing our ability to focus and read deeply? In an age of social media, short-form content, and constant distractions, many of us struggle to engage with long, complex texts like we once did. This video explores the science behind deep reading, how technology affects our attention spans, and what we can do to reclaim our ability to immerse ourselves in books and literature.
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Hey there, I’m Cinzia DuBois On this channel, I talk about dark and ancient history, literature and folklore.
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I'm very dyslexic, so I apologise for any mispronunciations that occur when I'm reading scripts for videos. Additionally, whilst flattered, I'm only a PhD student and not a professional educator. As such, I would advise against ever citing my videos or using them as an academic resource: please instead cite references for papers I list in the description box.
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I recently took my tv out of my room, stopped browsing social media so much and even stopped listening to music. Sometimes we got to ground ourselves as adults.
I am retired at 75 years of age. I begin every morning about four o'clock, make a coffee and read philosophy for 2 or 3 hours. I underline my books heavily for re-reading purposes and I write down ideas I get, not notes on what I've read but intuitions that have risen up. I buy many academic books on philosophy and they are expensive but I reason that's the cost of engaging in this practice. After reading, about eight in the morning I go for a 5 hour walk in the wilderness here that surrounds my town. Those are my two main activities, reading philosophy and hiking in the forested hills. I never thought that the philosophy I studied at university would ever take such a hold of my later years but the desire never dies. I don't read a lot of fiction but I need to work on my native Finnish and I enjoy struggling with Marcel Proust in the original French. For me not knowing all the words is a strong part of the attraction.
This is now my aim should I reach 75. (Apart from the 4am start!).
This is incredible to read 😊 I’m 35 and I enjoy long walks before work and reading in the evening. I like fiction in the evening and something I can really sink my teeth into in the morning as it gives me ideas so the other way around would have me far too awake in the evening!
That is ideal.
I just screenshot your comment. This is such a beautiful goal! You're living such a rich life! Thanks for sharing friend🥰
I actively set myself a task to deep read these last 5months. I was always in my phone and realised I couldn’t read a page without going back to re-read and now I can go 100pages a day easy in one sitting and this is the best I’ve ever been able to deeply focus on a book and its story ever. Not in my childhood not in my degree but now and it brings me so much joy! But I also like you need to use pen and paper when making notes if it comes to reading anything for work - helps me digest what I read and analyse it, typing it down is not working for me at least. Great video!
Breathing really does help "reset" or "prepare" one's brain to transition from one task to another. Great video as always Cinzia.
Thank you, Vanbedda
I get absolutely LOST in whatever book I’m reading. I always have. More than once I’ve been laying in bed eyeball deep in a book before I plan to fall asleep, and suddenly realize the sun is rising. Learning that so many other people are struggling to read books at all is just tragic to me. I had no idea it was such a problem. But I also don’t use much social media and spend most of my time doing homework. Unfortunately, as a physics and mathematics major in college, I have barely had time for recreational reading for years. I’m actually taking less units this semester specifically so I’ll have time for hobbies like reading and sewing.
I'm loving the take in this video. Me personally, I'm convinced we're living "Fahrenheit 451" i mean my town use to have 4 retail book stores and about a dozen used book stores. Now we are down to 1 single used book store
apparently, everyone is struggling now with things we with ADHD have struggled our whole lives. (I watched this video in 2x)
PREACH. I watch everything on 2x speed, everyone speaks so slowly to me haha
Thank for sharing this video. It makes sense why my best reading is done on the train, because I have total focus and can tune everything else out. Will try to practice the reading sprints. 💜
Dang, i certainly thought it was just me. After a brain injury reading more was really healthy! But now i dont have the energy. I like this and your video about your identity and reading. Can relate, books are wonderful.
One thing that helps me, particularly when doing work or reading for uni, is having something nearby to jot down any random thoughts. Before, I would immediately switch to doing whatever popped into my head, but now that it's written down, I know I can return to it later, and it won't keep distracting me.
Also for me, while I'm still able to deep read and maintain engagement, what I find hard is always feeling the pressure to read a large quantity of books. I've watched booktube for a long long time and I've noticed it really negatively affects the way I think about reading, wanting to read a lot in a short span of time which inevitably leads to reading easier books rather than harder more meaningful books. I constantly have to remind myself that it's ok if I don't read x amount of books because I'm reading with a different goal in mind. I'm trying to reframe reading with the concept of "feeding my mind", I can feed it junk food or I can feed it something much more nourishing.
I feel really lucky i read so much in middle and HS. I feel like that magically way I used to read is impossible to recreate today. However I still plan on trying and I will keep reading even though it doesn't feel as enthralling as it used to.
Also Craftsy looks so cute! Need to improve my crochet skills
Excellent discussion on this. As a professor, I've been seeing this issue in my classes lately (and as someone who took a "reading break" over lock down, I totally feel it too ha)
One thing I noticed when I was working at a school, and now even more now that I am retired is just how quiet public spaces have become. Everyone is just staring at a screen. I worked at a school long enough to see break time at school from being a raucous noisy period of time to being total silence as everyone is consumed by a screen. I see it all the time in public now.
I dont have a TV, but I do have a smartphone...and stacks of books that I often write about online (and I read "Ulysses" while househunting as a grad student...even finished it in bed).
I think that we like our phones and social media because it is passive and forces us to see what comes next. A book is a commitment that demands certain compromises that many people can no longer make.
But keep reading! I like your videos and I teach at a college in Montréal that does not take up all my time.
I can still dive into my collection.
And here's a quote from the American film director John Waters:
"I never understand when people say they don't have time to read. They're lying. It's easy to have the time; just don't watch television, and live alone."
A pre-Internet comment, but still... 📚
A lot of the lack of focus has to do with nervous system disregulation, which overstimulating, addictive, and disembodied electronic activities contribute to. My yoga/meditation teachers do a lot of breath training, especially long/deep/even/smooth/quiet diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing as a way to relax and focus the nervous system for subtler forms of meditation. With practice the nervous system starts to habitually breath in a healthier way and that makes things like reading or meditating easier. As a meditation instructor, I’m used to hearing that people don’t meditate because they’re bad at concentrating (which is actually a good reason to practice) or that they “don’t have the time,” usually meaning they don’t want to prioritize making a few minutes every day to exercise their mind in that way rather than taking a few minutes out of some inane activity like doom scrolling
One of the things that I do to help me concentrate is to read my book out loud, and I simply love creating voices for the characters. One might have a cold. One might be Mexican. By this time, my entire body is engaged in the process and I am part of the story. People listening to this performance beg for more and some want to try their hand at it. This might not work well in the middle of a library, but I can say that when I read Peter Pan at the park it was like a magic flute because every child in the park ended up listening to the story.
I have tried reading out loud but it kills my voice so quickly haha, I admire you ability to do it long-term!
We’re 100% capable. It’s a muscle that you have to strengthen and if it’s gotten weaker, that means we’ve been indulging in detrimental activities. We’re capable of anything we put work into
Thanks for this fascinating video Cinzia!
I do not read as "deeply" as I used to, but I make a point of breaking the book into sections (say a chapter at a time, or half a chapter) and take a break afterwards to sip some tea, look out the window, walk around. Maybe then I can read another section. I try not to put pressure on myself to "get lost" in the book but rather try my hardest to briefly direct all my attention to the words on the page and the pictures they inspire. I find the shorter sessions add up and I am able to read many books per year. It's just a bit different, largely due to chronic pain and PTSD I didn't have as a kid.
Thanks for this. The tips you provide are great! Love your videos.
I was born in the 70's. I used to devour books left and right for the vast majority of my life. But now, with the amount of emails and texts I have to read and respond to on a daily basis, when I'm "off the clock" there is just no way I can concentrate on reading something "for pleasure". It's the same way I don't answer the phone at home either. Everyone I know knows to leave me a voicemail if it's truly important for me to know. I just don't have the energy to read anymore and it's sad because reading was a true passion in my younger days. My brain and eyes are just too tired from the constant onslaught.
It's so hard. The load of information we have to absorb everyday is ridiculous. And so much of it corrodes our brains and impairs our ability to think and reflect.
That's why I find reading (mostly fiction) so rejuvenating. It resets my brain and allows me to be at peace, if only for a little while.
I find music works a treat wither for work or reading. The main thing is noise to blank out the world. It doesn’t need to be peaceful music, but it does need to be something where the lyrics don’t call to my attention. Growly metal, blurpy techno, classical.
This might be more about getting old, than reacting to internet. I, too, read with much less focus than I did when I was a child. But that is because things are rarely new now for me, and most of the sentences either do not bring any emotional response, or make me think about some concept, instead of being immersed into landscape of the book.
When I was young, reading was about following a plot. Who does what. Now reading is about intentions, emotions, actions, consequences and concepts. I read different. I watch movies and TV shows different. But now is more difficult to find some new ideas and concepts, so starting to read a new book is often a chore, while hoping to stumble upon something new and interesting
I have found that I need to be deliberately selective about how I read if I want to get the most out of it. Therefore ignoring social media, TV, etc when I want to actually read. Setting aside time and space without distractions is important for me.
I agree with your point on breathing before engaging. I call this taking a mental step back and do it every time I receive some sort of message. It allows me to take the time to properly process the message before I respond to it. I have learned from the mistakes of others that instant response can sometimes end badly if you have misunderstood or not thoroughly read a message.
And a big yes to physical note taking. I used to do this all the time when I was working, especially when I was researching for training and project development. It allowed me to concentrate and identify key information, rather than just copy and paste walls of text into OneNote that I would have to filter through again.
I must try those techniques you suggested. sometimes, I have a hard time with focusing upon the words which leads where the imagination would take me. Thanks Again !
You're welcome!
I really like the topics of your recent videos (before as well of course, just wanted to let you know I appreciate what you're doing). What can people do to best support you? :)
That's really sweet of you to say, thank you! My Patreons are my biggest support, I really appreciate them, but also just signing up to my newsletter and sharing my content also seriously helps for those who can't afford to sponsor on Patreon!! Links for everything are in the description box (:
Thanks!
I guess I am one of those "weird people," that still has the knack for deep reading. Though I do have to admit that I need to be less critical of the books I'm reading at times.
Tactile writing is really good because it helps the brain remember certain strokes of a word which in turn helps memory in general. For example, it's best to write down a shopping list on a small notebook before going to the store cause your brain will think "Well since I'm writing this down, this task must be important!" Vs text because you can forget that the text exist due to notifications (aka distractions).
I actually did a internet detox a few times in a week and I find that I'm more relaxed, time also feels strange because I am not looking at it every second and I can focus on task better. I find that me doing this was easy for me since I barely have social media.
Also I like to point out that our brains aren't meant to be wired to have consistent dopamine hits. While our brains are complex organs that are insanely resistant to certain things (hell, it can rewire itself to adapt to new changes especially after a traumatic injury) it needs time to do so. Also our brains are the LAST to fully developed (it stops around 20-30 years of age).
Sorry fir the long post. Your video was great and I agree to what you have said Cinzia. Hope your day is well.
Thank you for sharing all this and taking the time to write it!
I enjoy your lectures....well done and paced....your dictation is always entertaining....thank you....
Thank you
Short meditations! Good idea! I will try it.
I usually read two books at a time and have a habit of reading at least ten pages of each book daily. It takes forever that way though
Thank you for this video. I’ve noticed that my deep reading skills have declined the past five years. I’m trying to regain my focus and concentration. I think deleting TikTok helped 😂. If I were stronger, I would delete all my social media apps.
God I relate to this so hard. I used to hit 25 books a year no problem but last year I struggled to hit 10. I do think some of this is technology and the internet. However I do also attribute it to:
1. Me having my full time job instead of being in college. A big chunk of the “25 books” were assigned in college, where I was a fully time student and only worked part time.
2. What my full time job is. I am a technical writer so sometimes when I spend all day reading and writing for very technical subjects, the last I want to do is more reading.
3. This is kinda niche, but a few years ago I picked up chess so I read a lot of chess books now. For the most part, chess books are VERY slow. This actually does help with deep reading for me personally though, because for most chess books you could stare at 1 puzzle on 1 page for 20 minutes straight. So it takes you at least 20 minutes just to read 1 page, so reading 3 pages takes an hour.
But also yeah I do also be scrolling I won’t lie.
I just wanna advocate for chess for a second if anyone is having a hard time getting into reading. So when I go to the chess club, I have the same experience that I did in high school when I would just go up to my room and read for 6 hours. I can play a bunch of chess games at the club and 6 hours Will just fly by in the blink of an eye. And I won’t reach for my phone once (unless it’s to pull up a chess clock but that doesn’t really count as actual screen time to me). Frankly, I won’t even think about my phone.
So yeah if you need a “slower” hobby but reading just hadn’t been vibing with you might I suggest chess!
Heck, I can barely deep watch.. 😂 😭
Great Video! OK, so it's just not me lol. This video explains so much.
I do see a lot of those points, but I also think that it might depend on what's being read. For example, manga is very popular and a lot of millennials and genziers are reading the actual material if they can. Also too, it may depend on the topic being read. I could read comic books a lot more easier than I could read the Odyssey. But having said that, I think that all those points are correct and it's a very nuance topic. Also too your tips for deep reading. I'm going and to apply to reading and doing articles and videos so thank you for that. Cheers
I used to be a big time reader before I burned out at the age of 15, and then gained brain fog (among many other chronic issues) due to covid during the pandemic, so my reading comprehension has gone downhill and it's exhausting to work on regaining it.
I feel that, I'm really sorry to hear that, Cyan
1:08 Like asking 'why is it easy to watch Sunday football all day while finding it completely exhausting to even think about working out let alone engage in the act of working for 30 minutes?'
Ive noticed this in myself as well. My comprehension is down i gotta re read shit :(
I've been thinking about this alot lately. I think it has to do with the volume of work/ activities/ life stuff. There always have to be some sort of "productivity" at all times for whatever reason. It's why I started listening to audio books so that I can be doing something else, ( like chores etc.) Btw, where is the sponsored link?
It's in the video description, second line (:
@@CinziaDuBois Don't know how I missed it thanks! 😄
The article mentioned at the beginning of the video points out the fault is in US SCHOOLS NOT ASSINGING READING FULL BOOKS anymore. Reading long texts is a skill one learns in school, if kids can graduate to uni without having read a full book, meditation is not going to help them.
And unlike what people love to parrot, people's attention is not getting shorter, we're just "skimming" beacause there is so much information around we have to.
Yes, there is problem with getting that instant dopamine hit when engaging with short content online that people, especially when feeling anxious about the State of The World, may depend on.
But the reason kids (in US) can't read, is coz they are not required. School kids don't like reading for school, even those who like reading for pleasure. So those who don't read for pleasure will definitely not read for school, unless forced. And they are not forced.
❤
OMG.
Cinzia, I also began to see the decline in my deep reading about ten years ago. Gradually I've adopted several strategies for reading to address this. 1.) Re-reading: Nowadays I don't really consider myself to have read a book at all unless I've read it at least twice; the second reading doesn't have to be immediate, but whenever it comes, it sinks deeper than my first reading ever did. I just re-read "Madame Bovary" after several years, and it seemed like a whole new book. 2.) Recording: volunteer recording for websites such as LibriVox forces me to read deeply, carefully, meticulously, expressively, and slowly, and then to read it all over again for editing purposes; I have learned to love this second, editing re-read. 3.) READING ALOUD! I rarely read a book silently anymore; the simple act of reading aloud makes an enormous difference in comprehension, appreciation, and retention. Obviously, these three steps take time, but if a book is worth reading at all, it's worth the time it takes to read it again and aloud. The rewards will come. Cinzia, THANK YOU for adding several more strategies for me to try. I should also say that not every book is worth the time for these strategies; I have young students who insist that I "have to" read such-and-such young adult fantasy that I would never take the time for otherwise. There isn't usually enough depth in these for deep reading... 🙂
Nope, I don’t have the issue. I’m an old millennial who mostly works online and with language/texts. Although I do use social media, I don’t actively participate and don’t spend more than a few minutes each day on it. For youtube, I prefer longer videos and rarely bother with anything less than half an hour long. I don’t have notifications on for any device and refuse to use a screen while eating.
Oh GOD I used to read so much. Nowadays I barely touch anything. I think its digital.
I don't see a craftsy link in the video description, am I blind?
It's there! Sorry, for some reason it had pasted a few lines down too far, it's back up there go.craftsy.com/ladyofthelibrary/
@@CinziaDuBois Thank you! And thank you for recommending Red Thread (Charlotte Higgins) and Cathedral (Ben Hopkins) in previous videos; I gave them a try after watching and loved them both :)
Do you get bonus points for reading books in another language? Also, I heard there have been some very compelling studies on the benefits of reading aloud.
I listen to audiobooks, 3 hours per day, while commuting to work.
USC Troy in Brazil I thanks for get those books. Troy is never turks
'The World on Wheels'\surrender
AI is just going to make things worse.
I think capitalism and the stress of everyday society caused by capitalism is a huge contributor as well. We're too wired up to take in something that demands so much of our attention nowadays.
Well, at least you're talking about yourself a lot instead of completely like an old woman screaming at clouds.
You mean theres some other way to read??🤣 Like so when people read books or even listen to books the topics dont consume their life??🤣🤣 Honestly this is why I don't read books as much as I used to because I literally get totally consumed by them. Or when I listen to an audiobook I usually have to stop in between chapters just to digest all the stuff that I listen to Cuz I always have so many thoughts. But I am neurodivergent so yeah😂
HOWEVER the book has to be interesting, Reading a random boring college book was like pulling teeth before social media😂😂😂 also media is more stimulating than reading. Reading is the opposite of stimulating in terms of what your eyes see in your brain interacts with. The story can come alive but colors, graphics, All those things stimulate the brain versus a white page and some letters you know?🤷🏽♀️