How People Read

Our conscious brain takes 16 bits of information per second, compared to our non-conscious brain that absorbs 11 million bits per second. Can you imagine the difference? That is the reason why we hate to do things consciously-because it does take effort and discipline. Our non-conscious brain structures process tons of information coming from our sense organs such as breathing,heartbeat, and blood circulation, not to mention instincts and emotion- all without our awareness. The eyes, our primary tool in reading, only take in niformation when they are stopped. If you want, you can verify this by holding a book up in front of people and let them read a certain part in it. Watch their eyes as they read, though don’t tell them what you are observing. What feels like continuous motion is actually move>stop>read, move> stop> read, and so on. Speed readers minimize the number of stops by maximizing the number of words taken in at each stop.