How The World Reads Infographic
Despite the emergence of audio books and podcasts as alternatives to the normal printed books, reading proves to be an important facet of learning and conveying messages among humans.
In fact, UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) revealed that the global youth literacy rate rose to 90% in 2011 (census decades 2005-2015) from 87% in 2000 (census decades 1995-2004) and 83% in 1990 (census decades 1985-1994).
Apart from this, there’s so much more to discover when it comes to reading such as how people from different parts of the world read, as well as the reasons they do such activity.
How We Read
There are three types of vision ranges namely fovea (the area at the center of the retina), parafovea (expands up to 5 degrees on either side of fixation), and periphery (which is basically everything else).
The main differences of the vision ranges are in its functions such that fovea is critical for reading and can pick up details well, while the periphery, though unclear and not that detailed, can pick up color and movement. Lastly, the fovea is the vision range that helps people understand everything they read clearly.
We also use our working memory when reading. Research states that our working memory manages four distinct “chunks” at a time—a chunk being a bundle of information connected through some meaning.
Chunks are smaller for new or difficult material. Generally, your brain can only handle so much in a certain period, which means reading too fast leads to minimal comprehension. Pauses for comprehension take about 300 to 500 milliseconds on average.
Why We Love to Read
Bookworms are the perfect people to ask about reading, as not everyone loves it or even do it during their past time. Whether for meeting requirements for school or work, entertainment, enlightenment or just to kill time, reading is something that every person has done in his or her life.
To give you a more exact picture, here are statistics about why people read:
- 26% of those who read simply enjoy learning, gaining knowledge, and discovering information.
- 15% cited escaping reality, immersing themselves in another world, and being able to use their imagination as their reason for taking pleasure in reading.
- 12% said that reading has high entertainment value while noting the drama in good stories and the suspense of discovering how a plot unfolds.
- 12% equate reading to relaxation and finding their quiet time.
- 6% love the variety of topic books offer.
Reading allows your mind to reach new heights in terms of logic and creativity. By reading, you are exploring a different angle to understand something you know, or potentially something new altogether.
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