Fast Reading Tips from Bill Gates-Fasttrack Your Learning Process

Bill Gates reads widely on both the subject at hand and related topics when he wants to learn about something and remember it effectively. For instance, he explains in a video interview, reading about individual scientists and their challenges and breakthroughs might be helpful if you want to learn about science.

He continues, "So you have the timeline, or you have the map or you have the branches of science,"  Then he adds, "If you read enough, there's a similarity between things that makes it easy because this thing is like this other thing."  He asserts that it is far more difficult to learn anything entirely new when there isn't already a framework or pattern in place.

He is correct, according to brain research, and finding frameworks or patterns that knowledge can fit into can make learning easier. 360 volunteers participated in an intriguing experiment that was carried out by physics, neurology, and bioengineering researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Five-square rows of gray were displayed to the participants, one or two of which would turn red. Participants were instructed to instantly press the relevant keys on the keyboard in front of them when that occurred. The researchers timed how long it took the subject to push the key or keys after the square or squares became red.

The keys that went red were not doing so in a random order, which participants were unaware of. They were either following a "lattice" pattern, which is based on five connected triangles, or a "modular" pattern, which is based on three linked pentagrams. The researchers reasoned that if participants' brains understood the pattern and could thus predict which squares would turn red next, they would be able to push the keys more rapidly. Subjects were able to predict which squares would become red and press the relevant buttons considerably faster while staring at squares in the more recognizable modular design, albeit they still made mistakes.

Our brains are built to recognize patterns.

Researchers came to the conclusion that humans naturally look for patterns and similarities in the information we take in after analyzing their responses. Alternatively, to use Gates' phrase, we search for things that are similar to other things. Our minds are designed to look for patterns wherever they can and to give priority to perceiving the larger patterns rather than perfecting every little detail. This is helpful for learning more rapidly and spotting patterns more quickly, which might save your life if the pattern foretells an impending threat. Also, the experts note that it enables us to conserve mental energy, one of our most priceless resources. This is crucial.

Important News and Blog Tags for Readers

Bill Gates' Weird Reading Trick

The University of Pennsylvania Research 

Our brains are built to recognize patterns

Bill Gates' WEIRD Reading Habits

How does bill gates remember what he reads