Nostalgia: Speed Reading

Nostalgia: Speed Reading

From Why We Do What We Do by Abraham

May 27, 2026 · 1h 5m · Episode 473

About this episode

The episode explores the viability of speed reading based on recent research findings.

Years ago, we looked into the research on speed reading. What we found raised difficult questions about how viable this strategy really is. As we reviewed recent research for this re-release, we discovered that a) you can read at extremely speeds, you just won't actually read anything or remember any of it, and b) you can't actually read at extremely high speeds. Tell us your thoughts! Recommendations Abraham: Animal Control (season 4; https://www.hulu.com/series/animal-control-451af77e-25c4-4992-abc8-a313cbd2a2b7) Shane: Hum - Inlet (https://open.spotify.com/album/6SfnjkSphtKowg3tt7azDi?si=AjVsX0kzQpeOX_yYm5Chow) Holidays (5/27/2026): Cellophane Tape Day National Grape Popsicle Day National Gray Day National Sunscreen Day Nothing to Fear Day Old Time Player Piano Day World Otter Day Hair Stylist Mental Health Day Eid-al-Adha Older Americans Mental Health Week Prepare Tomorrow’s Parents Month Scripps National Spelling Bee Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories New links and references : https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/neuroscience-speed-reading-bullshit/\ Become a supporter of this podcast…

People in this episode

Host: Abraham

Topics covered

  • speed reading
  • cognitive science
  • memory
  • research
  • nostalgia

Keywords

  • speed reading
  • memory retention
  • cognitive research
  • reading speed
  • nostalgia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hulu, Spotify, Big Think, Spreaker, Patreon

Books & works: Animal Control, Hum - Inlet

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