Reading Too Fast? by Savita Kalhan

There’s a new app just launched on the market. It helps you read faster. It even claims that "you can finish a book in under 90 minutes". Spritz changes the ORP, optimal recognition point, which is the middle letter of every word, to red so you process the word faster. The eye does not move at all as the word is flashed on the screen. On their website you can try reading at 250 words per minute, 350 words per minute and 500 words per minute. Apparently the app has already been downloaded more than a million times already.

I checked it out, just to see, and found that I was reading faster. I’m not sure whether I would end up getting a headache or eye strain if I sustained the fast reading for a prolonged period, but I suspect it would.

That kind of speed reading might be fine if you’re trawling through documents, or you are a law student with reams of reading matter, or for anyone with lengthy reading matter and no time. Then it might be a useful tool. But I would question whether it has a place in reading literature, particularly if you want to enjoy what you are reading. When I read a book I want to enjoy it, so it’s definitely not for me.

Here’s the link to it if you’re interested in checking it out:

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/03/14/spritz-speed-reading

 

Twitter: @savitakalhan

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