The Reading Brain Can Deteriorate

In his review of Reader, Come Home, Maryanne’s Wolf’s new book of essays on the neurobiology of reading, Mark Bauerline notes:

"If reading is not natural but invented, it can deteriorate. If the brain adapted to print because of repeated exposure, it can adapt away if exposure slows. The circuit will break if unused, or if something different from print draws more of the brain’s attention. If screens take the place of paper, the brain will react."

This is the topic Wolf focuses on in the last two of her four newly published essays. I speak for myself in recognizing the truth in her fear that our more frequent use of electronic screens is a real thing: the hyperstimulation (that thrill of a quick “like”) and loss of longterm focus.

In fact, my lazy brain tells me to stop summarizing and just leave a link to Bauerline’s review here.