I don’t have the patience to read these days. I start a book, get restless, put it down, start another one.
As someone whose favorite activity has always been reading, this makes me really sad.
Right now, I’m in the middle of a novel that, in the past, I would have happily polished off in a day. Instead, I’ve been reading it for two weeks already and have no real interest in finding out what happens.
This is a reflection of me, not the book.
Am I just going through some weird stage or has the fact that I live on the computer stripped me of my attention span and my ability to remain focused on anything longer than 140 characters?
My mother, also an avid reader, recently complained about the same issue so either it’s genetic or it’s becoming a universal trend.
I don’t know which would make me feel better.
I’ve been worried about our collective attention spans for a while but now that I’m actually experiencing it personally, I’m more concerned than ever.
If I’m a reader and I’m not able to concentrate on a book, what does that say about future generations raised on technology? What does it say about the future of books?
I’d love to hear what you think. Have your reading habits changed with technology? Do you notice your attention span has decreased?
Please leave a comment. But please make it short.
(I’m kidding — although all I seem to enjoy reading these days are your comments and posts by my favorite bloggers!)
Oh, I am so glad to find out I am not alone in this! As a longtime avid reader, I, too, have been struggling with the same thing, and then find myself frustrated over it. If you start a club, can I be a charter member?
Thank you for reassuring me that I’m not alone in this either! We can start a club but we may only be able to discuss the first page of a book!
Hi…I have the same problem. Ever since turning about 55 or so, my attention span for reading is just not the same and now at 66….it’s null and void. I used to read in bed for hours…always read in the car on long trips, and would read sometimes on my lunch hour at work. I’d spend hours reading on the weekends. Now, if I try reading in bed, I fall asleep after a few paragraphs. I can hardly HOLD the book, let alone READ it for any length of time. I can laze around on a weekend doing nothing for hours…but if I try to sit and read a book, I get restless after 10 or 15 minutes, or doze off into a nap. I long to have the enjoyment of getting lost in a good book again….and feel it would be good for my brain, but just loose interest after the first few chapters and don’t care what happens because usually if its fiction, the characters don’t feel real to me. Could this be that there aren’t that many great books being written any more? Almost everyone and their 3rd cousin write at least one book now. I’m trying to reignite my passion for reading and have just purchased a Nook reader (which is nuts to spend money on when I only half-heartedly think I will use it). But I’m hoping I can get into some books of interest that might hold my attention for more than 5 minutes. I used to love a great novel, non fiction, and spiritual and inspirational books. I have a 10 day trip coming up and am going to try it on the plane, in the hotel room etc. I have a 67 year old boyfriend who reads 3-5 books a month….so I don’t think we can blame it on our age. Maybe its a woman thing??? Maybe when our hormones go bye-bye our reading genes do too??
I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way too. It’s horrible but, for me, it finally passed. Try one of these books and see if they help you get back into reading: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, The Goldfinch, The Signature of All Things, Where’d You Go Bernadette, Gone Girl. Seriously. I loved every one of those. And please let me know how you’re doing. Will be thinking of you, and hope you have a great trip. Thanks so much for sharing your story.
Maybe it’s a woman thing. I’ve been a voracious reader (2 or 3 books in a week) all my life and now I can’t get past the first chapter. Makes me very sad. I miss the piles of books by my night stand. I miss reading and getting lost in a novel. At 60 I seem to have lost interest. I don’t know whether is technology or decreasing eyesight.
Trust me. It’s NOT just a “woman thing!” I am a 34 year old male and I used to love books throughout my 20s. I wasn’t a fast reader by any means – actually, it would typically take me weeks to finish a book, but I always enjoyed them. Now, I’m finding it difficult to concentrate and really get absorbed into a story. I get a chapter or two in and just give up. I was attempting to do some online research into what’s happening with me. I imagine it’s a symptom of a much deeper issue, but it will take more time to figure out exactly what that is. I’ve had this nagging feeling lately that the internet is ruining all of our attention spans – an unfortunate byproduct of our digital age. I never recall having this much of an issue concentrating before I had the internet. Lol
I commisserate with all of you who share this problem and hope we can all find our reading passion again!! Thanks for sharing your experiences. It helped reading them to know I’m not alone. ? I may have to just chalk it up to getting a bit older and not having as much free time or worries as I did in my younger years. Such as life, I suppose.
I am so feeling this. Maybe time and divided attention? I listen to audiobooks so I can maximize my moments. Sad but true. (126 characters :)!)
Nice job with the brevity! May have to try an audiobook, thanks!
I have several books out of the shelf. I try to read everyday, but I get as far as a few paragraphs. So I get another book and try again…another book…Anyway, I just try to write more.
I’m writing more, too, but I hope people will have the attention span to read it!
Loved this article – although my reply is a little long…
Growing up I was an avid reader. When I had kids it seemed like I could only get through one book a month but that was ok. But then a few years ago I realized I had only read one book the entire year!! I would fall asleep trying to read or get headaches that I blamed on too much computer time. So I went and had my eyes checked. Turns out I TOTALLY needed reading glasses. It was amazing the difference reading clear letters/words made as opposed to trying to read blurry words. I didn’t even realize how bad it had become until I got my reading glasses.
Now not only do I wear reading glasses (and am blasting through books again) but I am also wearing computer glasses (Gunnars) to protect my eyes from computer glare.
Yes, this is definitely an issue for me too, and it does seem to be conversely related to my blog. The more I focus on my blog and social media, the less I seem to be able to focus on reading books for pleasure. I do think it happens in stages though too. I’ve gone through this before, where I can’t read anything for months, and then suddenly I’ll find a book I love, and then I’m on a reading binge for a few more books after that. It does scare me (both for myself and my kids’ sake) and I do think technology and shortened attention spans are to blame.
You’re lucky I made it through your blog post :). Seriously, I find that I have to really commit to reading these days, where before it was just something I did all the time. And a book has to be excellent, too.
Oh Lois, I am going through the same thing! I blame it on the vast amount of time I spend online. I hate this! I have always been a voracious reader .Glad to hear I’m not alone, though.
You spoke to me! Wow! I have a stack of books on my nightstand, and I have not been able to open a single one! I read very little when writing my book, then even less as I researched & began the agent search, then more as I knew I needed insight into editing my work, now nothing. Nada. I should want to read for pleasure, and I need to read for writing insight. But, I just don’t want to! I’m not even curious as to what is selling. I can only manage newspapers, blogs and social media articles (including yours on the Huffington Post, which was wonderful!) Until I read this post, I thought I was the only one. Now, at least I know I am in good company. Thanks Lois!!!!
WOW, so much company! As Brene Brown so aptly put it… I though it was just me.
This morning I was looking at my (growing) pile of partially read books, and thinking, ‘I really like reading better than watching TV, so why do I watch TV when I have all these books here waiting for me’?
UGH!
Not alone! Not alone! I started reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest a couple of months ago. Ken Kesey’s writing skills are just incredible. Chapter 4 was so well-written that I enjoyed it as a reader, but as a writer I pretty much had a bookgasm. I was breathless. I told my husband I might need a cigarette after that, even though it’s been over a decade since I had a smoke. I put the book down thinking I’d wait a day or 2 and go back to it. That was in September. I got distracted by David Sedaris’s short story collection “Naked.” And a few other books and projects and life and… and…
You are not alone! OMG, I still have all of the books we got from BEA sitting there gathering dust. I think part of it is I’m addicted (seriously) to my laptop!
Love this post, girlfriend.
So true – the last book I read was Wild, and that was hard to finish! Our collective attention spans are seriously lacking. Everything is ‘now’ – and unless I go to a theater, I barely have the attention to watch a movie! Give me a 45-minute show (fast-forwarding commercials of course), and that’s perfect. It’s really an issue I think about quite often. And I think it’s a sad side effect of our society’s direction unfortunately. I’m not sure how to change it because now challenging myself to read a book becomes something that feels like a chore. Argh!!
I agree. I fall into bed and read a few pages then I am out. I had to quit checking out books from the library because I had to renew them over and over. I think it’s just being so busy. When I am on vacation — I sit and read for hours. But I do know pretty quickly if it’s not a book that is going to hold me. So I move on.
I have had the same inattention since:
1. My son was born
2. Surgery
3. Menopause
I think it is biologically based, as well as psychologically based.
Oh Lois…I wish I did not relate to this! I will say though I find the more I am writing in earnest, the more difficult it is for me to stay in a book for longer than a few pages at a time, so yes, it takes longer to get through. As that intensity of writing lifts, I tend to find that once again the wonderful escape hatch is lifted open again. I am guessing that there is something to be said for the attention span issue too. Still, you have been writing a ton. And now with NaBloPoMo and Blogger Idol together, plus all the blogs to read? I say give your brain a little bit of leeway. xo
I still read but can take long breaks without reading a book. Most likely because I am distracted by all the technology. My daughter, a 20-year-old college student, who was one of those early, strong readers, seems to read everything on her laptop. I think if it was another time, without the distractions of the Internet, she’d be an avid book reader instead. I’m not sure what I think about that.
For me it’s guilt related. Reading is such an indulgence that I get caught up thinking I need to be doing something from my to do list instead. And I do firmly believe we are rewiring our brains for shorter attention spans. Um, what did I just say?
What a relief! I have the same problem. I thought it was because I spend all day, every day, writing, but part of it is I love TV and movies and want to spend some time with those at the end of a long computer day!
Case in point: http://m.us.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702303376904579137444043720218-lMyQjAxMTAzMDEwMzExNDMyWj
Dear Ladies who are blogging about reading and to our favorite Lady leader here! I guarantee these work, singly or collectively!
Four suggestions from a retired English teacher:
1. Join a book club. Check out several before joining one permanently!
2. Read on a Kindle or on any iphone, iPad, computer where you’ve downloaded the Kindle app, or other ereader apps.
3.Use Books on CD’s in your car.
4. Join Paperback book Swap on line.
I’m in the same boat and I blame it all on Twitter. Anything over 140 characters, and I’m gone.
I find it much easier these days to take a book back to the library if it doesn’t hold my interest for the first 50 pages. I used to read everything even if I didn’t like it but not anymore. Age has given my the permission to just take it back. I think with the advent of the internet and social media one must divide their time more and I find if I read too much on the internet I am then too read out to read a real book. I try everyday to read a hardbound/paperback and also to talk live to my friends. I don’t want the isolated feeling. Find your comfort with all the input and moderate your time to find the love of reading books again.
I’ve happy transitioned to Audible so…you might be on to something. Then again it might just be the hustle and bustle of November. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. 🙂
This might be an explanation…… put down the technology and pick up a paperback…. save yourself.
http://www.ted.com/talks/abha_dawesar_life_in_the_digital_now.html
As a “senior citizen” I was loving having so much time to read. Now, I barely make it through the newspaper, skipping over columns I used to enjoy. I put books on my iPad only to let them expire. Check out books from the library, can’t concentrate on them. I return them, check out more. I don’t like this, anyone have a solution?
I am delighted to know that I am not the only person who once was a voracious reader but who now, cannot seem to concentrate on any one book. It is devastating to me when I consider how my love of reading actually defined me and now seems to be lost. What causes this? I hope and even pray that this is only for a season.
Oh, Gayle, I think constantly being on the computer is what caused it for me. My attention span was gone. I can happily reassure you that I’m reading again and enjoying it as much as ever. The book that got me back was Elizabeth Gilbert’s “The Signature of All Things,” which totally sucked me in and made me remember why reading was so important to me. Please stay in touch and let me know what happens. I’m sure this is just a stage.
Dear Lois,
I have been using the internet almost daily for nearly 16 years, which is to say since high school. Up until the beginning of 2013, I was also a voracious reader. I’d read anything. Huge, beastly novels by the likes of Clancy and King, and I’d re-read the complete works of Tolkien over the course of the summer every single year. My internet habits have not changed that much. I use facebook and send email and read news articles and check sports scores.
For me, I think it had more to do with just getting older and more cynical and being able to invest myself intellectually and emotionally into a book the way I once loved to do. But your article is valid, for many people the technology and information available has drastically reduced attention spans. How many times have you found yourself Wikipedia-surfing, clicking on the next article before you’ve even had a chance to absorb the information you’ve just read? We do it without even noticing it.
I have tried to be disciplined and use the computer only when necessary. I open a book, a good book, I begin reading only for my mind to start wandering after a few pages. It is maddening and it is very, very sad. I don’t know what to do.
I hear you. It is totally maddening and sad — but hopefully it’s a stage. It could be a symptom of age or too much electronic noise — I don’t know but I agree it’s so disheartening for someone like you or me, who has loved spending their life reading. I hope it passes for you soon, and I appreciate you writing. I guess you just have to keep trying until one book changes it for you. Please let me know what happens.
Hey everyone – very interesting article pertaining to this new phenomenon – sure, it can be related to vision or attn issues, but this is just too widespread – wonder what it’s doing to developing brains of our children: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/serious-reading-takes-a-hit-from-online-scanning-and-skimming-researchers-say/2014/04/06/088028d2-b5d2-11e3-b899-20667de76985_story.html
Wow, that is fascinating and kind of depressing. You’re absolutely right – what IS this doing to our children and what will be the impact on future generations? Thanks so much for sharing. What do we do now?
Hmmmm, pretty scary. Stay tuned (easier said than done to say, ‘log off!’ [do as I say, not as I do…]) Thanks for this interesting blog – glad I found you.
I’m so glad you’re here!
I feel the same way. It feels like life moves so fast that reading is a waste of time. I want instant wisdom, instant knowledge. There is no time for subtleties. I also do not feel that reading is making me grow any more. It feels like work. I want to be downloaded. By the way, I’m not a millenial, I’m 43. What is happenning?
Ken merhar, you wrote my thoughts. I am much older than you, but I also feel, as you said, that reading is no longer making me grow. And I feel such an urgency about the movement of time, and the living of my own life, that I can no longer “afford” the time to experience life through someone else’s writing. I hate feeling this way!
Thanks for this topic, Lois. I just discovered your blog. Love it.
I feel like you took the words out of my mouth. I have felt the same way for the past two years and it has driven me nuts. I just cannot focus on a book. However I recently started making myself sit down and read for 15 minutes then find myself reading longer. I really miss devouring books.
It’s taken me a while but I’m now reading again – and very happy about it. Try reading The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry or, the book that got me back into reading, The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. I’m sorry you’re feeling this way — I wonder what’s doing it to so many of us. Thanks for writing, and let me know which book gets you back into reading. One of them will!
I knew I wasn’t alone in my lack of ability to focus long enough to complete a few pages but the varied reasons are very interesting. As individuals and all quite different, there could be a number of reasons as to why we have lost our lust of turning a page.
For me, it wasn’t about the knowledge gained or the quickness in order to gain it, it was being mesmerized by a well written novel. The intricate intertwining of characters and plot that kept me unable to place it down.
Also, the feel of the pages as I turned them. The sheer act of having the book in my hand was comforting to me.
I intend to use the timing method (15 min) and see how that goes.
Good luck everyone and let’s keep books in our homes, such a wonderful past-time it is.
“’It’s like your eyes are passing over the words but you’re not taking in what they say,’ she confessed. ‘When I realize what’s happening, I have to go back & read again & again.’ To cognitive neuroscientists, Handscombe’s experience is the subject of great fascination & growing alarm. Humans, they warn, seem to be developing digital brains with new circuits for skimming through the torrent of information online. This alternative way of reading is competing with traditional deep reading circuitry developed over several millennia.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/serious-reading-takes-a-hit-from-online-scanning-and-skimming-researchers-say/2014/04/06/088028d2-b5d2-11e3-b899-20667de76985_story.html
Yes I have the same problem.. I graduated with an English Lit degree and stay reticent with shame at my disability lol. My disinterest in books began shortly after. And that was 14 years ago, and I am now 37. ??
After thinking there was an issue with “me,” I happened to take notice that, on the other hand, the book does not understand me the way it used to. For years I could fetch a novel to take me on a journey and stimulate my soul/spirit.
Now I read online articles- brief articles, about the various symbols and metaphors that reflect each person as an individual (animal totem, astrology, Meyer’s briggs). My journey of self-discovery is fueled by that info. But I sure do miss being absorbed in a story. The sun coming in the window, coffee.
Perimenopause completely interrupted my ability to focus on reading. Also, suddenly I seem to have sore hands/thumbs so holding the book is uncomfortable. Finding a comfortable sitting position is an issue. And also, I didn’t have proper reading glasses for a few years so reading was not easy. I think I also kind of drifted away from it b/c I couldn’t remember anything I read so it was hard to stay with a book.
Things apparently get better after menopause unless there are other issues.
Thank goodness I’m not alone in this! I was totally freaking out because I have loved reading from a very young age and to be 22 now and have difficulty in doing what I used to so dearly love! I’m still struggling with getting myself immersed in a book. It’s hard to read just a few pages. Did anyone here recover from this? Do share your story if so!
It’s taken a long time (as you can see by my lack of book reviews here) but I am finally reading again – and loving it. Honestly, I think it’s only because I’ve been traveling a lot and I won’t pay for wifi so flying time has become my reading time. I feel so much better, and I try to read for a half hour before going to bed. It’s made a huge difference, and I hope you can get back that same love.
Wow I finally searched up something about not wanting to read anymore and found this and am so happy there are so many people the same. Reading was my lifeline for most of my 55 years and suddenly two years ago when my husband of twenty years left, i overnight lost the passion for books. I became addicted to online scrolling as it required no investment from my brain. I want to reignite my love of reading and am contemplating hypnosis to give me a boost.
I’d love to know if that works for you. As I mentioned to another commenter, I’ve started reading again on flights (no wifi, thank goodness) and it’s reignited my passion. Fingers crossed for you. Please let me know what happens.
I’m so glad you picked this thread up again because I am sitting in a book shop having this exact thought – why don’t I want to read any more and more importantly why doesn’t it give me pleasure? I had never thought ti link it to menopause – as reading had always been faithful even during – or especially during – big changes in my life before.
I agree and it scares me to death.
I’ve been having a hard time sitting down and reading a book. I’d rather watch a video or film. My mom was a voracious reader and I used to like to read but now I get too distracted. The best place for me to read is the bathroom.I’ve managed to get through several books that way.
I am relieved to see so many dealing with what I assumed was just me. Mine started with a class I taught for 8 years, all research and time consuming. I read but never novels, then I started working and had less time…now my attention span is so limited it scares me. I see some of your readers have cured themselves…I wonder…
For me it seems to be a matter of how slow the pace is and the overuse of descriptions, explanations, and background blah blah blah. After a few pages of that I’m skim reading and shortly after that skipping to a more interesting chapter. After 15 minutes, I just give up.
During this same time I’ve noticed I have become annoyed with speech that repeats itself, saying the same thing over and over but using different words.
It could be an age/experience thing where you are just no longer as engaged in the same o same o, ya know the old “it’s not me it’s them” line of reasoning, I would pay attention if there was anything worth paying attention to.
Interestingly, I don’t have this problem with writing. I love to write and edit my own stuff which I’m sure is just as common and just as boring to others in the
can’t-read-anymore-club.
Maybe we select few have evolved into Superior Human Beings and are no longer easily easily pacified with a good book as the dolt masses are. We’re too quick to assume some cognitive impairment when there are plenty of fantastical alternatives to choose from.
I have the same trouble and I wonder if publishers are choosing books that are not as interesting as they used to be. Or publishing authors that don’t write for my age group. I did a bit of research on a couple of books I enjoyed 10 years or so ago and still enjoyed them.
I have the same problem, but I think it is largely a factor of the contemporary writing style of the authors I have been reading. They have multiple action stories going at once and skip around leaving you to figure out where you are each time they transition. It wears me down and frustrates me.
I stopped reading books in 2015. I have no idea why. I try and just can’t do it. I’ve been an avid reader since childhood..always had a book and hidden flashlight under the covers. Books were my friends, I loved to read. It is a big life regret for me that I no longer read.
I haven’t stopped book reading, but I just can’t concentrate the way I used to. I take books out of the library and they just sit, while I read online or pick up a magazine. Or, I read a few pages and give up. When I was in my teens, I gladly dove into a book with hundreds of pages. I haven’t been able to do that in years. This blog post made me realize that I am not alone. I think there is a lot to the “rewiring” theory.