Reading, Writing, Literature

A colleague sent me a sobering article - it seems that the average reader on-line reads only the headlines and the next eighteen words.

So, if you didn't stop reading six words ago you can count yourself as above average. Way above average.

The trouble is not so much that people don't read - that's their choice. The crux is that by not reading we deprive ourselves of various rather important physical and psychological benefits. Reading, it turns out, is a kind of exercise too.

I'm delighted to hear this has now been officially confirmed, yet again. Over 40 years ago James Pennebaker at Texas University found the same thing. People who read, and who write about things that have meaning for them, live longer and happier lives. The ability to reflect on who we are helps us to become more human.

It seems that concept is outmoded. My college, for example, does not believe this to be the case. If it did the Committees concerned with overhauling the entire syllabus would not have cut back on this vital activity.

But I realize I'm perhaps keeping some readers away from their violent on-line war games, the kind that teenagers sit through for 8 hours at a stretch as they blast opponents to bits. That kind of hypnosis is acceptable today. There are even college courses in it. Perhaps those courses will soon replace writing and literature courses entirely.