September 10, 2007
We are what we read
Joseph Epstein said “We are what we read.” This is more than just a cliché or a hand-wringing expression used by librarians. According to neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf, reading actually develops the brain in way that can be clinically measured. Moreover, reading creates deeper, faster connections to knowledge than other forms of learning can.
This has special significance in light of a recent survey which revealed us as a nation of lazy readers:
One in four U.S. adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.
The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year --- half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who had not read any, the usual number read was seven.
"I just get sleepy when I read," said Richard Bustos, a habit with which millions of Americans can doubtless identify. Bustos, a 34-year-old project manager for a telecommunications company, said he had not read any books in the last year and would rather spend time in his backyard pool. --- The Associated Press
The main culprits behind this trend---TV and the internet--- won’t surprise anyone. Increasingly, Americans are restricting themselves to “visual” inputs. There is a lot to read on the internet; but YouTube, whose format mimics television, is one of the most popular destinations for Web-surfers. (YouTube is also one of the most mindless destinations on the internet. You won’t learn much on YouTube; most of the non-pirated content on this site is pure narcissistic nonsense.)
I realize that not all visual content is mindless. I watch the History Channel and the Discovery channel a lot myself. However, a one-hour documentary will never provide the depth that a 300-page book can. For technical and scientific topics, it is nearly impossible to acquire significant knowledge without cracking a book.
Reading (especially non-fiction) is a habit that everyone should acquire. We are constantly being told that America is falling behind in the knowledge economy of the twenty-first century. We aren’t going to regain our advantage by plugging in to MTV and YouTube.
