Submitted by drlawsoniii t3_z73oh7 in books
I’m nearly 40 years old and have done well in life. I have a job that pays nearly 6 figures due to being able to pay attention in college and still get good grades. I never read any textbooks or fiction for any class.
When reading all I ever see are just words. I can’t imagine what is happening (unless there’s a movie about the subject, even then it’s a struggle), I love movies, and video games. But even when I play video games I typically cheat so I can blast through the gameplay and advance the story.
I say all this to show that I love stories, and would love to be able to read classic science fiction, and fantasy novels, but I just can’t into it. Does anyone have any insight as to what my problem may be?
jumpupsitdown445 t1_iy4jx82 wrote
I am not a doctor and am instead just a clown on a computer, so, like, don't take me seriously. BUT Can you imagine other things in your life? Like, do you create pictures in your head at other times? If I asked you to picture your home could you 'see' how many windows it has in the front, for instance? What happens in your head when you hear a story? Because it's entirely possible you have aphantasia, which is an inability to create a mental picture.
Or it may be a lack of practice. I have heard that creating mental pictures while reading is tied to how well and often you read. So less fluid readers don't get lost in the story the same way others might.