Featured Image Credit: M-Production / Alamy Stock Photo / @forestvanslyke/Twitter
Topics: Reddit
Emma Guinness
Topics: Reddit
We live in a world that's full of distractions, which can make sitting down to read a book harder than ever.
But some Twitter users are saying a new hack might be able to help you read books much faster - which is particularly helpful for people with ADHD and other neurodivergent people.
One Twitter user wrote: "It lets you read twice as fast, is less overwhelming and helps you to stay focused.
"You will feel much more productive and a greater sense of achievement which will boost your confidence and makes you overall feel more positive."
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The hack itself utilises a method known as bionic reading, which works by emphasising the beginning of a word and allowing your brain to skim over what follows.
The method is available to utilise on digital books with an app that can be downloaded on any device.
"Bionic Reading® revises texts so that the most concise parts of words are highlighted," the app explains. "This guides the eye over the text and the brain remembers previously learned words more quickly."
The app's creators say that it can play a 'supporting role' when it comes to reading.
"We see technological progress as an opportunity for all those who want to increase the pleasure of reading in a noisy and hectic world in a focused way and without distraction," they explained.
Reacting to the method on Reddit, one user added: "Aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae.
"The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm."
Now, we don't know about you, but we can certainly read that comment - as strange as it might be on a second glance.
"My brain centre is going nuts with all this pleasant auto-complete reading," added a second Reddit user.
A third suggested that this technique could be useful for everyone - not just neurodivergent people.
They remarked: "Pretty sure this one is a normal human trait.
"I remember my psych professor going over how we tend to not read the entire word but only parts and fill in the rest."
However, the effectiveness of bionic reading is certainly up for debate, with one study of over 2,000 people finding 'no evidence that Bionic Reading has any positive effect on reading speed'.
The study participants actually read 2.6 words per minute slower with Bionic Reading compared with normal text.
This was also backed up by some Reddit users, who didn't understand what all the fuss was about.
One remarked: "This just made me really uncomfortable.
"I was too hung up on the half-bolded words and where each one shifted to read anything at a normal speed."
"I read it slower than usual," added a second while a third wrote: "I had trouble finishing it. It didn't feel right. It was like tripping over rocks or walking on [an] uneven floor."
Regardless, if you'd like to give bionic reading a whirl, you can download the app here.
