Simply put, reading.
Reading has a powerful effect on the brain. It trains it to maintain focus and coherency in thought. It trains the imagination to allow more complex visualization. It trains it to hold more information in working memory. It can be used to add cognitive tools that allow for more advanced/nuanced forms of thinking. It’s a superpower we forgot because someone found a way to take photographs. Go read something. I’m going to go read right now.
And not to get political, but I’ve seen a pattern of how the right often demonises many genres of books (even vowing to campaign about book burning), but also never encourage anyone to read, instead they implicitly glorify short form video and brainrot.
For all the issues the left has, reading isn’t one of them, and in numerous areas of leftist politics reading theory is seriously encouraged and deliberated on.
I have a few right wing family members who are multiple times my age, and they struggle at reading, and hence have pretty bad attention spans, almost no critical thinking or analytical skills, and they find short form media very appealing, which acts as a time sink for them rather than doing anything of real interest. For myself, of course I occasionally watch YouTube shorts and Instagram reels, but a lot less than peers and family, partly because I know the health consequences and how much it messes with my mind, but also an even more important fact, reading is many times more enjoyable, since it engages my mind and I can imagine extremely vivid imagery, so why waste it?
I joined a book club earlier this year and have now almost reached my goal of 50 books (mixed audio and physical). Honestly one of the only thing that brings me joy these days.
Simply put, reading.
Reading has a powerful effect on the brain. It trains it to maintain focus and coherency in thought. It trains the imagination to allow more complex visualization. It trains it to hold more information in working memory. It can be used to add cognitive tools that allow for more advanced/nuanced forms of thinking. It’s a superpower we forgot because someone found a way to take photographs. Go read something. I’m going to go read right now.
And not to get political, but I’ve seen a pattern of how the right often demonises many genres of books (even vowing to campaign about book burning), but also never encourage anyone to read, instead they implicitly glorify short form video and brainrot.
For all the issues the left has, reading isn’t one of them, and in numerous areas of leftist politics reading theory is seriously encouraged and deliberated on.
I have a few right wing family members who are multiple times my age, and they struggle at reading, and hence have pretty bad attention spans, almost no critical thinking or analytical skills, and they find short form media very appealing, which acts as a time sink for them rather than doing anything of real interest. For myself, of course I occasionally watch YouTube shorts and Instagram reels, but a lot less than peers and family, partly because I know the health consequences and how much it messes with my mind, but also an even more important fact, reading is many times more enjoyable, since it engages my mind and I can imagine extremely vivid imagery, so why waste it?
I joined a book club earlier this year and have now almost reached my goal of 50 books (mixed audio and physical). Honestly one of the only thing that brings me joy these days.