
Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read - yarapavan
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/what-was-this-article-about-again/551603/?single_page=true
======
WheelsAtLarge
Our brains are built to forget so anything that's considered unimportant is
likely to be forgotten. A perfect example is why we can enjoy the same TV
shows many many times, not just once. With video or film, we are saturated
with information, there's no way we can capture everything we see and hear and
even what's capture is quickly forgotten since it's mostly unimportant. With
books, most of us read books at a very comfortable place and pace. Also, we
read at relatively fast pace vs our ability to analyze so we understand but
don't send the knowledge to our long-term memory. At best we can give a fast
summary of what was read, something like a 300 pg book into a few paragraphs-
even if we re-read a book. So, in essence, we read for entertainment, not
education or recall.

The only way to fight forgetfulness is to slow down and analyze, summarise and
recall. Start thinking in terms of book reports. Another possibility is to
read many books on the same subject but even then you have to fight the urge
to ignore something because you think you know it.

Reading for education and recall is not a given you have to work at it.

------
yarapavan
In “Binge-Reading Disorder,” an article for The Morning News, Nikkitha
Bakshani analyzes the meaning of this statistic. “Reading is a nuanced word,”
she writes, “but the most common kind of reading is likely reading as
consumption: where we read, especially on the internet, merely to acquire
information. Information that stands no chance of becoming knowledge unless it
‘sticks.’”

Or, as Horvath puts it: “It’s the momentary giggle and then you want another
giggle. It’s not about actually learning anything. It’s about getting a
momentary experience to feel as though you’ve learned something.”

