TL;DR
A long-form reflection argues that habitual consumption speeds — for reading, eating and other activities — blunt the rewards those activities can offer. The author reports that deliberately slowing down produced stronger engagement and suggests experimenting with much slower paces to reveal deeper meaning and pleasure.
What happened
The author describes a personal experiment in which they read The Lord of the Rings aloud over two months, intentionally slowing their pace to a fraction of their usual speed. Reading aloud constrained them to mouth-speed rather than eye-speed, preventing skimming; when they deliberately stretched attention to roughly three times their normal focus per sentence, they found the book’s imagery and mood registered more vividly. The essay draws a parallel with eating: slowing bites increased enjoyment and made smaller amounts feel more satisfying. The writer uses a vacuum-cleaner metaphor to argue that perception and appreciation need time to draw out deeper layers of experience. They contend that modern abundance may push us toward higher intake rates, reducing the available reward for each act. The piece closes by inviting readers to test slower consumption and mentions a discussion forum the author opened for readers giving things up for a month.
Why it matters
- Slowing consumption can increase comprehension and subjective enjoyment of activities that are otherwise skimmed.
- High default intake rates, shaped by abundant modern access to content and products, may reduce the value extracted from each item.
- A simple change in pace can reveal differences in taste and preference, potentially shifting long-term consumption choices.
- Deliberate slowness is presented as an accessible method to get more out of everyday tasks without changing external circumstances.
Key facts
- The author read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings aloud, taking two months to reach the end of the book’s first part.
- Reading aloud was used to limit reading speed and discourage skimming.
- When the author intentionally gave about three times their usual attention to each sentence, the narrative’s imagery and emotional weight increased.
- The essay compares slowing reading to slowing eating: reduced speed yielded more enjoyment from smaller portions.
- A vacuum-cleaner analogy is used to illustrate how slower passes can pull up deeper, otherwise-missed material.
- The author suggests modern living’s constant abundance nudges people toward faster consumption habits.
- The piece recommends trying consumption at half or one-third habitual speed to observe effects.
- The author created a discussion forum for readers attempting month-long give-ups (December) and invited similar participation for January.
What to watch next
- Try reducing your consumption speed (reading, eating, information intake) to half or one-third and note changes in satisfaction and comprehension.
- Whether intentionally slowing consumption produces lasting habit change: not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Default settings (behavioral): The habitual pace or mode in which a person performs everyday activities without deliberate adjustment.
- Consumption speed: The rate at which someone takes in information, media, food, or other consumables.
- Comprehension: The ability to understand and make meaningful connections from material that is read, heard, or experienced.
- Cliché: A phrase or idea that is overused and can lose impact, even when it contains a useful insight.
Reader FAQ
Did the author read the book aloud on purpose?
Yes. They read aloud to constrain their pace and avoid skimming.
Did slowing down change the author’s experience?
According to the author’s account, giving much more attention to each sentence amplified imagery and engagement.
Is there scientific evidence presented that slowing always improves comprehension?
Not confirmed in the source.
Is there a community tied to this experiment?
The author started a discussion forum for readers giving something up for a month and invited participation.
Raptitude.com About Archives Experiments Courses Contact Best posts RSS Maybe the Default Settings Are Too High { 12 comments } 20 SHARES I’ve been reading Lord of the Rings for…
Sources
- Maybe the default settings are too high
- Windows 11 keeps switching to "High Performance" power …
- Help!! Intel XTU messed up Default BIOS settings.
- "All settings were reset to default values." Message
Related posts
- Rethinking Default Consumption: How Slowing Down Amplifies Value
- From Pocket Books to TikTok: What Cheap Media Means for Serious Work
- DIY Lamp-Driven Can Spinners — Kinetic Sculptures from Recycled Soda Cans