TL;DR
A Raptitude essay describes how deliberately slowing everyday acts—reading aloud and eating—can intensify comprehension and enjoyment. The author argues modern defaults push intake too fast and suggests experimenting with much slower pacing to reveal deeper rewards.
What happened
In a recent Raptitude post, writer David Cain describes an experiment in deliberately slowing his pace of consumption while reading and eating. He has spent two months reading The Lord of the Rings aloud and, after intentionally reducing his reading speed — in one case giving each sentence roughly three times the usual attention — reports a marked increase in engagement, imagery, and meaning. Cain extends the observation to eating: slowing bites yields heightened taste and satisfaction from less food. He uses analogies (a vacuum head needing slower passes to pick up more dirt) and cultural critique to argue that abundant modern supply encourages overly fast default settings for many activities, which can blunt rewards. The post recommends trying consumption at half, two-thirds, or even one-third of habitual speed and notes a related Raptitude forum for month-long quitting experiments.
Why it matters
- Slower consumption may yield greater comprehension and enjoyment from the same material.
- Reducing speed can reveal differences in value between surface-level and rich, crafted content.
- Habitual fast intake could be narrowing what people want to consume, steering culture toward more superficial offerings.
- A small, deliberate change in pace is an easy-to-test behavioral experiment with immediate feedback.
Key facts
- The author reports reading The Lord of the Rings aloud over two months and being at the end of the first part.
- He deliberately slowed reading to about triple his usual attention on sentences and found the experience deepened.
- The post draws a parallel between slowing reading and slowing eating: taking smaller, more attentive bites increases enjoyment.
- An analogy used in the piece compares passing a vacuum over carpet quickly versus slowly to illustrate how speed affects uptake.
- The essay argues that modern abundance of consumables encourages higher default intake speeds, which can reduce rewards.
- The author suggests trying slower rates — for example, half, two-thirds, or even one-third of your habitual speed.
- The post mentions a Raptitude forum that ran a month-long quitting experiment in December and invites similar participation in January.
What to watch next
- Whether readers who try deliberate slow consumption maintain the practice over time — not confirmed in the source
- If slowing consumption shifts personal preferences away from short-form or mass-produced content toward denser works — not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- Default settings: The habitual or automatic pace and manner in which someone consumes media, food, or other experiences.
- Consumption speed: The rate at which a person engages with content or food, from rapid skimming to deliberate, slow attention.
- Reading aloud: Vocalizing text while reading, which can constrain pace to mouth-speed and affect comprehension.
- Savoring: Deliberate attention paid to sensory or cognitive details of an experience to increase enjoyment and recognition of value.
Reader FAQ
What did the author change about his reading?
He read aloud and deliberately slowed his pace, giving sentences significantly more attention than usual.
What effects did slowing produce?
The author reports enhanced imagery, meaning, and overall engagement with the text, and similar effects when slowing eating.
How slow should I try to go?
The post suggests trying half or two-thirds of your normal speed, or even as slow as one-third, to see what changes.
Is there a place to try a related challenge?
The author mentions a Raptitude forum that hosted a month-long quitting experiment in December and invites people to join a similar January effort; follow the link at the end of the original post for an invite.
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
- a Low Cost and Efficient Strategy to Define Hyperparameters
- Rethinking Consumerism → Term
- RETHINKING VALUE
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