From Psychologies · Louise Leboyer · · 50s
Why People Start Books But Never Finish Them
Psychologists explain why starting books is easy but finishing is hard.
In brief
Psychologists explain why starting books is easy but finishing is hard. People often start books but struggle to finish due to attention spans and mismatched reading choices. Originally reported by Psychologies.
Starting books is easy but finishing is hard
Some people struggle to finish books even after starting them.
“La lecture demande un effort, evidemment, de deciffrage, de comprehension, de memoire”
Attention span affects reading completion
Lack of attention makes it hard to continue reading after starting.
“On a de moins en moins de capacites de controle, et on est de plus en plus happes par enormement d'outils”
Mismatched reading choices cause problems
Forcing oneself to read books that don't match personal interests leads to abandonment.
“Je ne considere pas qu'il y a de la bonne lecture et de la lecture triviale”
Imposter syndrome affects reading habits
People with imposter syndrome may collect books to prove their intelligence.
“Les personnes qui souffrent du syndrome de l'imposteur pourraient avoir tendance a chercher inlassablement”
Reading for pleasure is key to completion
Reading books that are enjoyable helps maintain attention until completion.
“Il faut recommencer a lire avec des ouvrages qui nous font plaisir, estime la neuropsychologue”
The bottom line
People often start books but struggle to finish due to attention spans and mismatched reading choices.
