Every reader has a unique speed at which they read.
The average reader reads around 200 to 250 words per minute and many studies available today have proven that the slow reader can only get through and read only about 30 pages while the fast reader can reader upwards of 40 pages in an hour.
In this post I’ll discuss what makes people read fast which often times means faster than others or the average reader out there.
So without wasting too much time let’s get right into this article.
Why do I read so fast?
People who read faster are generally intelligent , have read enough, have good vocabulary or have read enough challenging material which has made them easily adaptable to almost any book out there.
With that said, lets the reasons why you may read faster in more detail.
High intelligence
Some people are naturally intelligent and often times this intelligence is noticed early on in their lives. Such people find some tasks that are challenging for others particularly easier for them. A person with high intelligence may read faster than the average person because of many reasons. A highly intelligent person may be equipped with speed reading techniques, can easily understand things etc.
Therefore whenever the discussion of why some people read faster than others we should never rule out natural intelligence in the conversation.
Never under-estimate your intelligence, if you’ve found yourself reading faster lately, because it’s really difficult to ever acknowledge your own intelligence.
Reading dense material
I always like to say that books are not written equally in many of my articles because I know this for a fact. Certain books require more effort from the reader for many reasons.
Some concepts are not easy to assimilate and require more effort, sometimes the writing style is difficult enough that it becomes part of the puzzle you have to solve beside the actual information in the book.
While reading challenging books can be hard it can also be highly rewarding in that it makes us mentally tougher.
Reading simple books becomes easier and we get through them at faster speed without losing comprehension or focus.
My point is people that are used to reading hard books will find it easier to read simpler ones and will often times read it faster than usual.
Familiarization
Another reason why you may find yourself reading faster is familiarization. For example, if you’re accustomed to concepts in a field, you may find it easier to read books in that field as compared to the average person.
The fact that you can piece together meanings quickly can make you a faster reader because you’re already familiar with the subject or topic.
Used to Cramming
Some studying techniques such as “cramming”, condition the mind to operate in a certain way and this may in turn make you a faster reader.
We all know the pressure of having limited time to study and all we can do at that moment is just cram the information hoping it sticks around long enough for us to recall it.
Getting used to such studying techniques can make us faster readers inherently.
The mind easily learns what we teach it and the more you’ve spent time cramming information the more likely it is that you have developed the ability to read faster than the average person can.
Good vocabulary
When you’re familiar with a language, reading becomes easy and often times you can reader quicker than the average person can. With that said, we cannot leave out the fact that knowing a language well can make us read very fast.
Interest
When you’re interested in something you will likely enjoy it more than others. Reading material that you particularly find interesting can make you read fast because your focus and concentration don’t sway too much.
When we read things we have no particular interest in, our reading abilities greatly decline and so does our speed.
You may find it hard to get yourself to focus when you’re reading material you don’t like unless you have no choice but to read but even then it is difficult.
Some students fail because they simply have no interest in certain subjects which affects their performance.
Bookworms
Bookworms are people who love to read and spend a lot of time doing so. Such people generally find it easier to read faster because they are used to the activity.
If you’re a slow reader looking to improve your speed you might want to spend more time reading and becoming very acquainted with it. This will certainly improve your speed over time.
Ever wondered whether slow readers are less intelligent? Read about this HERE!
Limited sub vocalization
Sub vocalization is the voice in your head that reads when your eyes go over words. People that do too much sub vocalization find it really hard to mentally quite down to read faster. However people that read with their eyes effectively read faster because can read quicker than we can speak.
Fast eye movement
Avid readers and bookworms that are used to reading develop fast eye movement over time. This makes them better than average readers that can focus, read fast and comprehend information a lot quicker.
Some people on the other hand are naturally born with quick eye movement and such people can read relatively faster.
If you’re a slow reader looking to improve your reading speed you might want to train your eyes by reading with your eyes which means looking at the word and immediately reading it without sub-vocalizing it.
This takes some practice of course but is very doable and anyone out there can learn.
Quick mental processing
Some people’s brains are just naturally faster and this can easily be viewed as intelligence. Someone with the ability to process words and meanings within context at a high speed can find it easy to read faster.
Slow learners need more time with information so they generally read slow but this doesn’t take away from their ability to comprehend information.
They only need more time to do so.
