“We are not only what we read, we are how we read,” says Maryanne Wolf, a developmental Psychologists at Tufts University and the author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain.
Wolf contends that the style of reading promoted by the internet puts “efficiency” and “immediacy” above all else and that human capacity for the kind of deep reading that emerged shortly after the printing press came into play may weakening.
Online reading Wolf says, results in becoming “mere decoders of information.” Additionally, "Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when reading deeply and without distraction remains largely disengaged.”
Google and other search engines provide instantaneous access to information for research. To a writer this is a godsend. Needed data, are available without having to sift through numerous books or to travel to the library. Too often, however, such research leads down a superficial road of simply locating information, but not making the mental connections that are necessary for thoughtful reading to occur.
Is Internet Health Reading Being Confused With Actually Changing Health Habits?
Similarly, many people seeking better health refer to the seemingly infinite information on the internet without making the necessary mental connection for thoughtful understanding. The result is confusing the act of reading with the actual implementation of healthy activity.
Writing in the July issue of Atlantic, Nicholas Carr relates how the London Scholar Group from the University College in London has been studying the behaviors of internet users and that what they found was that people using the sites exhibited a “form of skimming activity,” hopping from one source to another and rarely returning to one source they’ve already visited.
Do people receive health information and process it the same manner? Ironically diet and exercise for good health and wellness calls for just the opposite. A plan must be designed and adhered to consistently. A change in the design should come only after an effort has been sustained for a considerable amount of time, and when it's been assessed for it’s worthiness in achieving health goals.
What is the Future of Increasing the Quality of Healthy Living Practices?
As there is an increasing amount of information on diet and exercise, more of the health problems associated with obesity becomes evident. The question has to be asked, "Is there a direct correlation between style of reading health information and the future of wellness?"
