Why can’t I concentrate when reading?

You try to get into reading, but it’s hard for you, you get distracted easily, you don’t retain the information, you lose track… What is all this due to?

We talk about the most common causes of this phenomenon, and we also offer some ideas to improve reading attention.

What is concentration?

According to Schmid and Peper (1991), concentration ‘is a learned skill of reacting passively or not being distracted by irrelevant stimuli’. It also involves the ability to be totally here and in the now.

We need to concentrate to learn, to study, to read… and to do so many activities in our daily lives. Although, of course, depending on the activity, the concentration we will need will be greater or less.

Lack of concentration when reading may be due to a lack of habit.

Why can’t I concentrate when reading:

Difficulties concentrating on reading usually have their origin in one of the circumstances or actions that we describe below.

1. Lack of habit

If you don’t have the habit, it is normal that it is difficult for you to concentrate when reading. Remember that sustained attention (concentration) is also trained; After all, the brain is like a muscle, and within this muscle different cognitive abilities are “located”, such as concentration.

If we neglect them, it is normal that they are not at the level we would like. Therefore, if you want to improve your concentration when reading, read! Try starting with small moments a daywith activities that are really of interest to you, to gradually increase reading time.

2. Numerous distractors

Netflix, HBO, Prime… With the amount of quality audiovisual content that we have at our disposal, it is understandable that We have become accustomed to resorting to its consumption when we want to escape from reality.. On the other hand, we have much more neglected reading because it demands of us to be active.

And this is related to the previous point; If you want to train your attention capacity, provide the means so that reading becomes a habit. Try to keep any screen away when you decide to spend some time reading; Remember that on your mobile there is a notification LED that is intended to capture your attention, and once you unlock it…

3. Concerns

Although sometimes we don’t realize it, the thoughts and worries of the day are there, in our minds, ready to sneak in as soon as they find a loophole. Therefore, another of the reasons that would answer the question of “why I don’t concentrate when reading” are those worries that are extraordinarily intrusive.

Attention is a skill that requires focusing; Furthermore, continued reading requires a conscious decision with which we assume the direction of that focus. Once we have started reading, if the text is interesting, this control relaxes because it is the stimulus itself that is very salient for our attention compared to other alternatives in the environment.

4. Lack of motivation

Lack of motivation also explains why you have such a hard time concentrating when reading. Maybe the book you’re trying to read (or the magazine, the text, etc.) doesn’t really interest you. Is it a required book for high school?

Or something you have been “told” to read? Because if so, it’s normal that you have trouble concentrating. Furthermore, everything we experience “as an obligation” costs more; It is normal.

Excessive worries and lack of motivation are other reasons why concentration when reading does not usually appear.

5. Tiredness

Tiredness also interferes with concentration when we read; If we are tired, our mental faculties are not at full capacity, and it’s normal. Therefore, it is important to be well rested and recharged when we read (or when we do any activity that requires sustained attention).

6. Age, stress and intense emotions

Is a reality; As we age, our cognitive abilities, such as the ability to concentrate while reading, decline.

This is stated in a study (2018) from the University of Southern California, published in Nature Human Behaviorwhich suggests that With age we become distracted more easily, especially in stressful situations or with intense emotions. involved.

And furthermore, according to the authors of the study, this loss of concentration It has its explanation in a very small region of the braincalled locus cerulean.

7. Suffer from some disorder

“None of the above is happening to me,” you think, but then, “why can’t I concentrate when reading?” There is another explanation for this: a possible disorder. And it is that, Disorders such as depression, anxiety or ADHD (attention deficit disorder) greatly interfere with the ability to concentrate. How?

7. 1. Depression

In the case of depression, this lack of concentration is one of the symptoms of so-called depressive pseudodementia (cognitive failures associated with depression, which can be confused with dementia).

According to Cózar and collaborators, in a 2011 article, depressive pseudodementia “usually presents with a subjective perception of significant memory loss and cognitive failures which does not necessarily correspond to the results of the cognitive evaluation, which may demonstrate the presence of only mild or moderate failures“. Thus, one of the symptoms of depressive pseudodementia is attention difficulties.

7. 2. Anxiety

When we suffer from anxiety, it is also very difficult to maintain attention focus. Numerous studies, such as the study by Benedito et al. (1992), relate anxiety to lack of concentration.

7. 3. ADHD

Finally, among the core symptoms of ADHD, as stated in the DSM-5 Among its diagnostic criteria are also difficulties in directing and maintaining attention in a conscious manner.

Keys to improve concentration in reading

While answering the question of “why don’t I concentrate when reading”, we have also mentioned some strategies that can help us improve concentration when reading. We leave you some more keys so that you can also enjoy a good time reading:

Reduce distracting stimuli.Before choosing to watch a series, choose a book! Select a suitable and quiet environment, where you feel comfortable.Take care of your posture; you must be comfortable.Don’t “force yourself” (because then you will hate reading); Find small moments of the day to read, and progressively increase the time. Strengthen yourself for the progress made.Limit concentration time (Remember that our mind can be concentrated, as a general rule, for up to 45 minutes in a row; then it should rest).

Perhaps the most important key is to spend a little time choosing a reading that you think may interest you. It’s not about you suffering, but about enjoying doing it.

The most typical strategy, if it is a book, is for you to read the summary; Another one that usually works well, and which is complementary to the previous one, is that you read the first paragraphs: by doing so you will be able to decide if you like the writer’s style or not.

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