3 surprising facts about reading

Reading is a surprising act. Until now, humans are the only species that has developed this ability, which goes hand in hand with writing. This is a high-profile capacity that shows the great evolution of our brain.

One of the most striking aspects of reading is that it changes the brain. This is what neurobiologist Francisco Mora says in his book Neuroeducation and reading. There is evidence that, particularly in children, it changes brain anatomy and physiology.

The above goes further. A person not only changes with what he experiences, but also with what he reads. In fact, you could say that reading is a specific form of experience that sometimes even leaves deeper marks than “real” experiences. Let’s look at some other surprising facts about reading.

1. It is an artificial process

In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust is the longest book in the world.

One of the surprising facts about reading is that it is an artificial process. Because? All human beings are born with the brain circuits of spoken language. This means that He speaks It develops in all people naturally. The only condition is that they talk to a baby. Other than that, not much else is needed.

On the other hand, reading is not innately present in humans.. That is, this ability is not genetically encoded. Each person must go through the process of acquiring it. This requires hard work of learning and memory, which has varying degrees of difficulty for each human being.

It must be taken into account, in any case, that spoken language is actually a novel process in human history. It appeared about two or three million years ago. Reading is only around 6000 years old. It seems like a long time, but seen as a whole it is barely a blink of an eye in history.

2. The most advisable thing is to learn to read at 7 years old

There are many children who feel extremely demanding when learning to read. Although each child is different, the truth is that Some areas of the brain need to mature enough for them to develop reading more easily and properly.

According to science, The ideal is for children to learn to read at 7 years old. At that age they already have their brain prepared to carry out this activity with a certain fluidity and also to find pleasure and charm in it.

It is possible, and in fact often, for children to learn to read before that age. However, for them it is more of a hard task to complete, rather than a new skill that piques their interest. Likewise, there are many children who cannot read correctly at very early ages. There is nothing wrong with them. You just have to wait a little.

In Finland, one of the most advanced countries in education, children learn to read at the age of 7. It is important to note that reading is not just the decoding of written language. It also involves the ability to understand and decipher meanings.. In reality, we spend our entire lives trying to always read more efficiently.

3. The Internet reduces reading ability

Texts read digitally remain in memory worse than those read on paper.

The Internet has changed many things. Among them, the way of reading. In the virtual world there is an enormous amount of texts and a good part of the actions carried out in this space involve the skills of reading and writing. However, it is not read and written on the internet as it would be done in person.

One of the big differences, in terms of reading, is the attention process. In the physical world, reading involves using a type of attention known as “executive.”. This is sustained and serene. He is not in any great hurry and applies himself intensively to the pages of a book. Reading on the internet, on the other hand, tends to be more transversal. The user wants to read only the main ideas, and not the entire text.

These are just some facts about reading, an activity that, ultimately, makes us more intelligent and capable. What we read changes us, transforms us, and in many cases, also reconciles us with humanity and communicative processes.

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