Why Not Reading Is As Dangerous As Climate Change

'If learning to read changed our brain in a good way and we gained remarkable knowledge that we shared with each other then, by the same logic, won't lack of reading also change our brain?'
'Won't it reduce the valuable knowledge we acquire and share with each other,' asks reading coach Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta on National Reading Day.

Ever read a book about the massive benefits of doom scrolling? Of course not!

Reel after reel, generations of our brightest minds are committing mental self-sabotage; engaged in a hollow activity that numbs our minds instead of nurturing it.

As we avoid the hard work of actual knowledge acquisition and consume mindless content that we don't really need, the first impulse is to blame technology. This is incorrect because the actual problem is how we are using technology.

Why aren't we reading more instead?

We acquired the skill of reading about 5,000 years ago. Remember, we were not born to read. Reading became a 'mass' activity only after the invention of the Gutenberg press in the 15th century. Our scientific progress has come after we acquired the ability to read and transmit information to each other.

All the other basic skills -- hearing, smell, touch and taste -- are well developed at birth or within a few days of it. Only the full range of eyesight strengthens over time.

None of these skills need to be taught and each has a genetic marker. But there is no genetic marker for reading. Reading needs to be taught. A few parts of the brain have to coordinate to make this happen. And our brains were transformed forever by reading.

Here's the key -- anything that changes the brain, changes the individual, the society and the future of our species.

Even today, despite so many other ways to consume information, neuroscience says authoritatively that reading books has its place right at the top of the learning chain. Besides, it is cheap and accessible.

So here's the question we need to answer.

If learning to read changed our brain in a good way and we gained remarkable knowledge that we shared with each other then, by the same logic, won't lack of reading also change our brain? Won't it reduce the valuable knowledge we acquire and share with each other?

The twist in the reading tale is this -- the shift from offline reading to digital reading has been very quick. We are not even asking ourselves how our brain is adjusting to this change. Also, because of the sheer volume of content available online, we've moved from the mindful 'query for answers' to mindless scrolling very quickly on the evolutionary timescale.

In this scenario, what will change about the way we absorb, retain and build on information?And how will that change the quality of our lives? Because we can accept that altered brains will alter us and our life experience.

A majority of us are now sharing a constant barrage of trivial updates and memes with each other -- not scientific, meaningful information. We seem to be in denial of the consequences of this cognitive decline. This reminds me of the time we were in denial of climate change for almost four decades!

Why do we love denial so much?

For one, there are cognitive biases such as the 'normalcy bias' where we are convinced that the current patterns will continue indefinitely.

Then there is the 'confirmation bias' where we seek information that aligns with our existing beliefs. More than anything else, we downplay threats because we are uncomfortable confronting them. It's easier to look away than fully comprehend the threat to our spiritual, educational and social systems.

We also have a preference for short-term comfort over long-term survival.

So we are in a limbo, trading the natural curiosity of our children for clickbaits and endless feed traps.

We need to understand that these changes are way deeper than we understand at present. We must urgently recognise and address the 'loss of skills' problem that will emerge from letting go of the reading habit. This is as real as climate change and poverty.

The sooner we reclaim any habit that strengthens long term focus -- in addition to reading, it also includes immersion, meditation and even mindful travel -- the better it is for our progression as a species.

What better day to begin reading once again than National Reading Day?

National Reading Day honours Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker who helped establish the first public library in Kerala in 1945. He is widely regarded as the father of India's library movement. This day was first celebrated in 1996.

Biographer and corporate reading coach Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is an active proponent of the philosophy that books change lives. She is credited with the Red Dot Experiment, a ten-year-long six-nation study on how culture impacts communication.