Summary of "I used to HATE READING. Now I read 50 books a year"

Overall thesis

Reading rewires and builds brain circuitry for deeper thinking. It’s a powerful, scalable way to increase intelligence, empathy, health, and creativity. To read more, start small, build a consistent habit, and pick books that make the habit enjoyable.

Why reading matters (key concepts)

Learning to read physically reorganizes the brain: reading co-opts and creates circuitry that supports complex thought.
Benefits include increased cognitive ability, new white matter, improved emotional intelligence, better health outcomes, and stronger academic and life outcomes for children raised in reading households.
Reading activates sensory regions of the brain, helping immersion and learning — you can mentally “feel” described experiences.
Despite these benefits, recreational reading has declined: surveys (UK/US) report many children and adults do not read regularly (figures cited in the video/subtitles: over 80% of children and ~50% of adults don’t read regularly).

Quote (example of sensory activation):

The phrase “freshly cut grass” can trigger activity in sensory cortex, making the experience feel vivid.

Why small, consistent habits beat big, sporadic efforts

Concrete calculation used in the video: an average book ≈ 100,000 words, so 15 books ≈ 1.5 million words. At a normal reading speed this can be achieved with about 15 minutes of reading per day.
Starting with 15 minutes daily is realistic, builds enjoyment and speed, and typically leads to reading more time later (for example, an hour/day can yield ~50 books/year).

Practical method — step‑by‑step

Commit to a small daily target
- Start with 15 minutes of reading per day for a week.
- If it works, gradually increase to 20–30 minutes and eventually an hour if you want.
Schedule and allocate reading time
- Treat reading as a planned activity, not something you squeeze in.
- Example: read at the end of the workday in a favorite spot (the speaker reads nightly on the sofa with a cup of tea).
Choose books to build habit and confidence
- Begin with what you enjoy (plot-driven fiction, mysteries, popular series, or any genre you like).
- Use easier/engaging books as “nursery slopes” rather than forcing difficult or “serious” titles.
Mix genres once you have momentum
- After a base of roughly ~10 books, deliberately pick things outside your usual tastes to broaden thinking (e.g., if you favor non-fiction, try fiction for language and empathy benefits).
Create the right environment and cues
- Carry a book everywhere to replace phone micro‑browsing during waits or commutes.
- Join and use a library to reduce friction and cost.
- Replace phone checks with pulling out a book.
Mindset & motivation
- Use the cognitive and health benefits of reading as motivation — imagine it as a “pill” for improving thinking.
- Don’t try to impress with hard books immediately — aim to enjoy the process so it becomes sustainable.

Additional recommendations and resources

Book recommended: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (author in the subtitles appears as “Marian Wolf”; commonly listed as Maryanne Wolf).
Sponsor / learning resource: Brilliant.org
- Described in the video as an active, question-based STEM learning app that teaches thinking and problem solving using evidence-based methods.
- The speaker mentioned a free trial link and a 20% discount on an annual premium subscription (promotional).

Notable supporting details

Personal anecdote: the speaker stopped reading for almost a decade, felt ashamed, then set a 15-books/year goal and used the small-habit approach to scale up to 50+ books/year.
Illustrative historical/metaphorical examples: Steve Jobs (combining technologies to create the iPhone) and ancient Greece (the alphabet enabling an explosion of recorded wisdom) were used to show how new affordances enable new ways of thinking.
Sensory example used to demonstrate brain activation: “freshly cut grass” triggers sensory cortex activity.

Possible subtitle errors

Author name: “Marian Wolf” in the subtitles likely refers to Maryanne Wolf.
Some numerical or causal claims (e.g., exact average book length, precise brain-region shifts) are simplified for the video and may be approximations.

Speakers / sources featured (as identified in subtitles)

The video’s narrator / host (personal storyteller, unnamed in subtitles)
Brilliant.org (sponsor; learning app)
Maryanne (Marian) Wolf — author of The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (recommended)
Cited surveys/studies (unnamed UK/US surveys about reading rates; general scientific studies on reading and brain/health)
Historical/examples referenced (Steve Jobs; ancient Greece)
Personal anecdote involving the speaker’s godson (used to illustrate active teaching)