I’ve been thinking about why reading can feel so much harder than watching or listening—and I think part of it comes down to how we’re wired as humans.
By nature, we absorb information through watching and listening. For most of human history, stories, knowledge, and skills were passed on verbally or through observation.
Reading, on the other hand, isn’t something we’re born doing—it’s a skill we have to learn and train over time.
That might explain why videos and audio feel so effortless, while reading can feel mentally demanding, especially in a world where we’re constantly fed visual and auditory stimulation. It’s not that reading is worse—it just requires more intentional effort.
Maybe struggling to read isn’t a personal failure. It’s just our brains defaulting to what they’ve always done best.
by EuGeniuSius