How to read a book
Brain Hacking
Quadrillion connections
Our brains are giant graphs. Of nodes known as neurones. And edges known as synapses. An infant’s brain contains nearly 100 billion neurones. And about one quadrillion synapses.
When we think of some concept, say “election”, we stimulate associated neurones. And when we do so, synapses connected to those neurones are also stimulated. These, in turn, stimulate other neurones associated with the concept. Like “president”, “voting” or “democracy”.
Note, the mapping from concept to neurone is vague and weak at best. We might think of “election” as a single well-defined concept. But our brains represent it within many neurones. And these neurones also express other concepts.
Re-wiring the graph
“5 billion years ago, matter, energy, time and space came into being in what is known as the Big Bang. The story of these fundamental features of our universe is called physics.” — Yuval Noah Hariri
Reading is like thinking. Each time we read a word (“billion”), or phrase (“5 billion years ago”), that parts of our brain that are associated with these words or phrases are stimulated. Related regions of the brain, say, the region associated with “Big Bang”, are also stimulated.
This stimulation causes our brain to be re-wired. Neurones learn to represent new concepts. And the synapses between these concepts are strengthened.
Sometimes, the concepts we read, closely match the concepts in our brain . In such situations, we feel that our reading is “easy” or “light”. The re-wiring of our brain is minimal.
At other times, the concepts we read are very different. We feel that reading is “difficult” and “heavy”. Sometimes heavy-reading takes a physical toll. And we feel drowsy. Or even fall asleep.
At yet other times, we read concepts that mostly match our brains. But then, these concepts blossom into new ideas, not in our brains. In such situations, we are surprised, delighted, entertained, and inspired. Such serendipity occurs when a good reader has the good fortune to encounter a good writer.
How to be a good reader
- Understand how your brain works. Start with the familiar (concepts that match your brains concepts), leaving the unfamiliar for later. It’s ok to skim. Browse. I usually start with the contents or index. Often the “introduction” or the “conclusion”.
- Give your brain the opportunity to be re-wired often. Re-read books. Even if you think you know what’s in the book. The best books must be read often.
- Let yourself be familiar with a broader range of books. Read widely. Not just a few genres and authors. The neurones and synapses you strengthen from one genre would complement the reading of another.
- Try not to “do” anything when you read. Try to “be”. The re-wiring of our brains is a sub-conscious process. If we try to “do” reading, we mess-up this process. For example, many people try to make sure that they remember everything they read. This “doing memorisation” leads to all sorts of sub-optimal connections.
- Don’t “think” about what you’ve read. Reflect and contemplate on what you read. Put down the book from time to time, and just “not think”. But “feel your mind”. This will eventually help you “feel” the new connections that are formed. Leading to new and creative ideas. If you “think”, all you’ll end-up is unearthing old and mundane thoughts.
And not just books
I titled this article “How to read a book”. But “read” could be replaced with any “information consumption” activity. And “book” could be replaced by other sources of information.
This article could just as well be “How to watch a movie” or “How to listen to music”.
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Readers might also enjoy reading Deep Consumption.
