People Feel Like They’re “Unlocking 100% Of Their Brains” By Using The Bionic Reading Font
Interview With OwnerReading can be such a pain at times. I’m pretty sure you’d agree with me, dear Pandas, as most of you have probably rushed off to get your quickest fill of information possible with the least amount of exertion. Understandable. A wall of words takes a lot of effort to scale, and yet, there are many techniques that help us rush through and absorb the information hidden within at a quicker pace.
So tell me, is it easier for you to read this, compared to the first paragraph? Did you completely skip it to begin with? It’s fair enough, but do tell me in the comments as I am a curious cat. Or a curious panda, should I say…
This boldening of specific letters is called Bionic Reading, a technique designed to help people read and absorb information more easily and efficiently. Though revolutionary for some, it’s more of a headache trigger for others. Let’s dive into the details!
Also, if you upvote the story and follow me, It’ll make my day. M’kay, thanksies!
More info: Bionic Reading
Bionic Reading is a special font designed to help you focus, read faster and better retain all that you’ve read
Image credits: juan
I don’t think there’s much debate about the fact that reading is one of the core skills we as people must possess in order to understand and contribute to our respective societies. Harappa Education notes that reading engages various parts of your brain, exercising it in a sense.
From increasing analytical abilities, it fires up the imagination and stimulates memory centers of your mind. It helps recall information as well as stabilize your emotions, yet, like most exercise, it can get quite exhausting quite quickly.
Especially when the literature itself is complex or dry. And let’s not forget people with dyslexia or those struggling to focus for long periods of time.
The idea was born in 2009, whilst founder Renato Casutt was studying to become a typographic designer. It started taking shape in 2016
Image credits: Andy Roberts (not the actual photo)
Thankfully, smarter people than myself have found techniques and skills that can be developed to make reading as painless as possible, whilst also being able to absorb all the tasty knowledge hiding in the fancy words.
One of those is called Bionic Reading, a font tool which was thought of and created by Renato Casutt. The main goal – help you stay focused and help you read faster, whilst retaining all you’ve read.
The idea was born in 2009, whilst Renato was studying to become a typographic designer. He told Bored Panda that when he was asked to design a book for a Swiss bestselling author, he noticed something fascinating.
The author had written the book in a form of the Swiss language, which he could not comprehend when reading it, but understood absolutely fine when listening to it being spoken. “By listening, my brain knew this language very well,” Renato explained. “But when I read it, that was gone, because we absorb textual information through the eye. I then realized what the reason for this could be – I had never read in this language, so my brain didn’t have a vocabulary that it could match.”
6 years later we are introduced to the prototype, which allows you to control the amount of bolding on the letters to achieve the best result
Image credits: NatalieMaynor (not the actual photo)
Renato realized that he needed only a small fragment of the word to reprogram his brain and say, “‘hey, you know a very similar word, so use that because it has the exact same meaning!” He then converted each word to what we know now as the Bionic Reading fond and could suddenly read and understand the whole text.
He knew he was onto something and after a few years, Bionic Reading started to be developed in 2016.
“Bionic Reading revises texts so that the most concise parts of words are highlighted,” the company’s website states. “This guides the eye over the text and the brain remembers previously learned words more quickly.”
They believe that by bolding the first part of the word, we’re more quickly able to move from word to word, as our brains don’t need to work as hard to grasp their meanings because they just fill in the rest of the unbolded space.
“I’m doing something completely outside the box,” Renato states. “Breaking old patterns and discovering new things. I think it would be nice if typographic know-how is used to reinterpret possibilities. Future needs origin.”
“What looks so simple now is based on a matrix I designed to make Bionic Reading available as an individual reading method,” Renato explained
Image credits: Eugene Kim (not the actual photo)
“What looks so simple now is based on a matrix I designed to make Bionic Reading available as an individual reading method,” Renato explained. “We see technological progress as an opportunity for all those who want to increase the pleasure of reading in a noisy and hectic world in a focused way and without distraction.”
Whilst this is still in the testing phase, people who’ve tried it have had mixed reactions. Some seemed to be able to fixate and follow the words easier than before. “This is amazing! I have ADHD and I didn’t even realize that I was having trouble fixating when I read,” wrote one person.
“My eye latches right on to the bold face. Can’t wait to try reading a book again. It’s been all audiobooks for a while.” Another wrote, “It’s incredible how reading this feels like finally unlocking 100% of your brain.”
Whilst some found it revolutionary, making texts much easier to comprehend and get through, others found it irritating and distracting
Image credits: ESwift (not the actual photo)
If you’d like to try it for yourself, Bionic Reading has a free text converter on its website
Image credits: Christine (not the actual photo)
Personally, I found it more difficult to read with the font on, as for whatever reason, it was distracting and almost required more effort to focus. Some people agreed – it was not for them. But it does lead to an interesting insight into the different ways we perceive and absorb written information.
If you’d like to try it for yourself, Bionic Reading has a free text converter on its website. A YouTube clip from the company shows off the possibilities for how the font can be adjusted to individual preferences, so you can go crazy and find what works best for you.
Image credits: Mark Freeman (not the actual photo)
If this doesn’t work for you, no worries! There’s plenty more techniques that help you focus and read more quickly
Image credits: Sarah (not the actual photo)
However, this might not rock your world and that’s more than okay. There are many other techniques to try as well as negative habits to become aware of that might be slowing you down.
According to Daniel Strongin, when we first learn how to read, we’re taught to vocalize words, leading to further subvocalization in our minds, which ends up slowing us down.
A slow narrator is the number one way to fall asleep and lose track of what you’ve been reading. Try tactics like humming or chewing gum to stop the habit, or place your finger on your lips to subconsciously quiet the busy mind.
From skimming pages, to reading the beginning and end of paragraphs, to reading quicker than your brain is able to understand – pick & choose!
Image credits: Brad Greenlee (not the actual photo)
One way to increase your reading speed is to read at a faster pace than you can understand. Sounds counterintuitive, as your retention of the text will decrease at the beginning. To see improvement, you’ll need to practice so your brain can keep up. This trains you to recognize words at a faster rate.
Skimming text is another method to try. It’s based around omitting details from your reading and just getting a general sense of what it’s about. So skim the page, read headlines, the opening sentence of each paragraph, look at pictures and diagrams if they’re there, and with practice, you’ll be able to select important and unimportant parts.
And lastly, if you want to try something gnarly, try reading one of the previous paragraphs by focusing on the spaces between the words rather than the words themselves. It’s crazy but it works.
It’s incredibly interesting how differently we perceive the written word, but it’s fun that there’s innovation to help us read more easily
Image credits: Joe Goldberg (not the actual photo)
Regardless of which technique works for you, we can agree that the more innovation there, the better. There’s millions of books to read, thousands of blog posts and recipes to follow, so the easier and quicker we can grasp the information, the better.
“We know that this is just the beginning,” Renato said. “We have the path in front of us. But the end is still a long way off.” And we cannot wait to see what’s to come next!
Have a look at all the features currently present in the Bionic Reading interface
Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Which technique works best for you? Would Bionic Reading improve your day-to-day life?
Have a great day, you lovely pandaranda!
People have expressed their mixed opinions on the innovation. What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments
I loved the Bionic text, so damned stress free. I wasn't gonna bother reading the whole text on the left hand side. I just whizzed thru the right hand text like I only had a simple text to read. Was crazy level relaxing to take it all in.
Ikr, I just read half of it and switched over and I was like 😳🙂
Load More Replies...This is wild. I don't know that I read faster or slower, but it was so relaxing for my tired eyes. I literally felt my eye muscles relax. When I went back to the original font, it was physically painful for my eyes.
It made my eyes relax too! I have added, and for some reason I was able to read so much faster without missing anything. Super cool!
Load More Replies...It's not for me. It feels like listening to the radio with someone fiddling with the volume k**b.
I HATED the bionic text. I've been an awesome speed reader since I learned to read. The bionic text slows me down and obscures the words for me. No thank you.
Same here, it feels to me like the words are mispronounced in my head
Load More Replies...It seems like it was meant for focused reading on otherwise boring topics. I am either hyperfocused or can’t focus at all and this would really help the ‘can’t focus’ times. It makes skim reading quicker, where you’re just trying to glean information pertinent to what you need. I wouldn’t do most casual reading this way since I do like to take my time and even reread parts at leisure. I’d love to have Bionic as an option in digital formats but I wouldn’t want it in print. It’s divisive in its uses so it would alienate certain readers at this point, but I’d love to see how it fares in further studies.
HKCHLXKGXHK SAME AS SOMEONE WITH ADHD (FOR THE FIRST PART AT LEAST)
Load More Replies...I hate this, made me loose my place and have to start over several times
Agreed. My eyes and mind focused on the highlighted portion so the sentence didn't make much sense and I had to start over. I do have good reading comprehension normally, so maybe it really just helps those who need it.
Load More Replies...It doesn’t sound normal in my head. The emphasis is weird, like the up and down text in that Sponge Bob meme but less sarcastic.
I really struggle to read that. I keep thinking that the bolded parts form some kind of message or puzzle, so either only read the bolded parts or only the not-bolded parts. Both at the same time... doesn't work.
looks like the development has stalled. From his March 5 post on Facebook: " warm “Grüezi” from Switzerland. I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that unfortunately Bionic Reading will not be launching an #app at this time. Heini and I had to part ways due to irreconcilable differences. I am very sorry and I sincerely apologize to you. Sorry! The good news is that the many positive messages encourage me to go on. Although I can’t offer a product at this time, the worldwide interest in Bionic Reading continues unabated. And it’s happening in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. If you are an #iOS #software #developer and are interested in Bionic Reading, please write to me. Or tell it in your environment. Your family and friends. And if you would like to support me in any other way, I am very grateful! Thank you for your understanding and support! Best regards from the Swiss Alps Renato"
i have an adhd diagnosis and i can definitely say i love this! i can read something once and understand, as opposed to reading something 8 times and still not get it. where has this been all my life??
FR SAME IVE BEEN DIAGNOSED SINCE I WAS 8 AND THIS IS LIFE CHANGING
Load More Replies...Like a comment above, I discovered the dyslexia font on my Kindle. I dont have dyslexia, but it was a revelation for my reading. I've always been excellent at reading out loud. No problem with punctuation while reading, I don't trip over words. I can even get the gist of emotion on the first read and express it. But reading silently, over the past few years I've developed problems with it. (Age?) When I found this font it was like my reading skills went back to what I had years ago. Amazing what can help.
I can't stand it. Maybe it would help me understand information I was skimming by forcing me to slow down. But it hurts my head, especially when I'm trying to read slowly/normally to begin with.
My partner is dislexic and he said that it really made it easier for him to read.
Mine is too - shan't wake him up to get him to have a look (might not be appreciated, heh-heh) but I'll definitely have to get him to read it tomorrow!
Load More Replies...Yeah, all big readers do that without that kind of front. I can’t do it that well without any help in english, (still doing it tho) but I’m doing that since 2 decades at least in french.
Load More Replies...Bro this is so cool and as a fast reader that skims over basically almost the whole paragraph and has to read it 10 times, this is so helpful!
as someone with adhd, wow. this is amazing i can read so much better!
I'm dyslexic and this font makes reading a million times easier for me. It helps me stay focused, not get stuck and read much faster than "normal". so I really appreciate this font.
I'm dyslexic- this bionic text was significantly easier to read. Far less letter and word scrambling. So smooth and clear to comprehend. It made me think of when I was teaching my sons to read with highlighter/underling/chopstick point certian parts of words. Keep your curiosity!
This was disorienting to read. This reminds me of a discussion I had with my friends and teachers in college. It went like this, since technology became handheld people have been finding easier ways to make the masses dumber and easier to control. Like how app thumbnail used to have descriptive titles while now the app is big and detailed and the names are either simple or non existent on some people's devices. I've seen it too, I've been across half of America. Also where is his test being taken? If it's being done at a place where people were already smart and have high intelligence scores then I'd say this was a waste of time and money like the study where they tried to see if cocaine would affect a birds mating ritual (b******t the scientists wanted to get paid and snort that cocaine). Now if this was being done in the ghettos (I'm raised here) where the reading scores between both youth and adults aren't all the same them and if it was a success then I'd gladly rescind my statement.
I wanted to respond to this the day it came out but I was suspended for a yo mama joke when I've made more thought provoking statements or trolls. I've also seen worse and really uneducated statements from other people on here. This article unless was being done where people have a hard time learning was a waste of time and sponsorship funding. God forbid if this was government sponsored then it this a waste of our tax payer money to study smart people get smarter when we have people both young and old who can't even read or do basic math.
Load More Replies...I absolutely hate it. It's like speed bumps for my brain- it slows me down while being actually painful.
I get that it's ok for some people but confuses my brain and slows my reading down
I read super fast, but lose focus. This works so well for me! (I also miss the double spacing after the period in sentences.)
Interesting, very interesting. It does absolutely nothing for me. While I'm reading comments here how it's helpful to some and not to others, it simply doesn't work for me. It's just like reading normal text. And yes, I totally skipped the first paragraph, sorry Original poster Panda...
This doesn't work for me. I think it slows me down. I'm also worried that readers who already struggle to follow through while decoding will make even more errors with comprehension because they will be computing the wrong word. I'm interested to see the research on it though. My daughter says she thinks it's helpful.
I'm already a fast reader and this made me blow myself outta the water.
It gives me headache within 2 second I have astigmatism so this font do trigger it. Personally it's the sadly not so used anymore comic Sans ms , it was made for dislexic
Honestly, I've always read that way without the words being highlighted. It's just the way the brain works. It comes naturally without the reader realizing it. Highlighting the start of the word has just brought attention to what everyone has been doing already.
It works for me but I've been a fast reader for all my life and it just feels like the visualisation of the way I am reading already. But for anyone who has trouble with speed reading, this font might be a big help.
I hate it, it's too distracting. I'd rather just have a 'clean' font, without all the extra lines and ish
I read very quickly in English, but not so much in other languages. Some of that may be attributed to mental processing time for the non-native language itself. I did feel that this bolding technique tended to pull my eyes along, though I felt it might lose its effectiveness once I became accustomed to it. It also eliminates the effectiveness of emboldened text. I did perceive an occasional dissonance where the bolded portion of the word is not properly the accented syllable of the vocalized word. Boldface will always symbolize for me an emphasis or stress on the bolded text. I did wonder, though, whether this technique could possibly facilitate my reading at greater speed in Hebrew, wherein my speech is more fluid than my textual absorption.
It doesn't really let you focus on one part. You still focus on both parts of the word. it helps you see more of the word at once. You are not skipping anything, your brain still registers whole picture, even if you don't. And it's definietly not "relaxing" for your eyes. Quite opposite.
Guilty, skipped the first paragraph. I think it makes for a more focused read, but it feels harsher to me while reading.
I have several friends who say this really helps them focus. I’m a speed reader who never had reading difficulty, and trying to read too much of this gives me a headache. My brain stops on each of the bold letters and I feel like I’m being hit in the head with a hammer. It’s amazing how differently every brain processes things! I wonder if this would help any of my kids with their reading. Keep up the amazing research and work!
I did a little bit of speed reading training many years ago. I don't often use it because it can best be described as skimming the text. The trick is to read as little as possible to gain the meaning without pronouncing every single word in your head. This font essentially is a shortcut to doing that and just makes it a lot more natural. It works.
I read books very quickly, but I have a hard time reading on a computer screen. That little sample has convinced me to give it a go!
It's so helpful for me! I have ADHD but I'm a fast reader so I usually lose focus and gloss over words and need to backtrack
I loved the Bionic text, so damned stress free. I wasn't gonna bother reading the whole text on the left hand side. I just whizzed thru the right hand text like I only had a simple text to read. Was crazy level relaxing to take it all in.
Ikr, I just read half of it and switched over and I was like 😳🙂
Load More Replies...This is wild. I don't know that I read faster or slower, but it was so relaxing for my tired eyes. I literally felt my eye muscles relax. When I went back to the original font, it was physically painful for my eyes.
It made my eyes relax too! I have added, and for some reason I was able to read so much faster without missing anything. Super cool!
Load More Replies...It's not for me. It feels like listening to the radio with someone fiddling with the volume k**b.
I HATED the bionic text. I've been an awesome speed reader since I learned to read. The bionic text slows me down and obscures the words for me. No thank you.
Same here, it feels to me like the words are mispronounced in my head
Load More Replies...It seems like it was meant for focused reading on otherwise boring topics. I am either hyperfocused or can’t focus at all and this would really help the ‘can’t focus’ times. It makes skim reading quicker, where you’re just trying to glean information pertinent to what you need. I wouldn’t do most casual reading this way since I do like to take my time and even reread parts at leisure. I’d love to have Bionic as an option in digital formats but I wouldn’t want it in print. It’s divisive in its uses so it would alienate certain readers at this point, but I’d love to see how it fares in further studies.
HKCHLXKGXHK SAME AS SOMEONE WITH ADHD (FOR THE FIRST PART AT LEAST)
Load More Replies...I hate this, made me loose my place and have to start over several times
Agreed. My eyes and mind focused on the highlighted portion so the sentence didn't make much sense and I had to start over. I do have good reading comprehension normally, so maybe it really just helps those who need it.
Load More Replies...It doesn’t sound normal in my head. The emphasis is weird, like the up and down text in that Sponge Bob meme but less sarcastic.
I really struggle to read that. I keep thinking that the bolded parts form some kind of message or puzzle, so either only read the bolded parts or only the not-bolded parts. Both at the same time... doesn't work.
looks like the development has stalled. From his March 5 post on Facebook: " warm “Grüezi” from Switzerland. I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that unfortunately Bionic Reading will not be launching an #app at this time. Heini and I had to part ways due to irreconcilable differences. I am very sorry and I sincerely apologize to you. Sorry! The good news is that the many positive messages encourage me to go on. Although I can’t offer a product at this time, the worldwide interest in Bionic Reading continues unabated. And it’s happening in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. If you are an #iOS #software #developer and are interested in Bionic Reading, please write to me. Or tell it in your environment. Your family and friends. And if you would like to support me in any other way, I am very grateful! Thank you for your understanding and support! Best regards from the Swiss Alps Renato"
i have an adhd diagnosis and i can definitely say i love this! i can read something once and understand, as opposed to reading something 8 times and still not get it. where has this been all my life??
FR SAME IVE BEEN DIAGNOSED SINCE I WAS 8 AND THIS IS LIFE CHANGING
Load More Replies...Like a comment above, I discovered the dyslexia font on my Kindle. I dont have dyslexia, but it was a revelation for my reading. I've always been excellent at reading out loud. No problem with punctuation while reading, I don't trip over words. I can even get the gist of emotion on the first read and express it. But reading silently, over the past few years I've developed problems with it. (Age?) When I found this font it was like my reading skills went back to what I had years ago. Amazing what can help.
I can't stand it. Maybe it would help me understand information I was skimming by forcing me to slow down. But it hurts my head, especially when I'm trying to read slowly/normally to begin with.
My partner is dislexic and he said that it really made it easier for him to read.
Mine is too - shan't wake him up to get him to have a look (might not be appreciated, heh-heh) but I'll definitely have to get him to read it tomorrow!
Load More Replies...Yeah, all big readers do that without that kind of front. I can’t do it that well without any help in english, (still doing it tho) but I’m doing that since 2 decades at least in french.
Load More Replies...Bro this is so cool and as a fast reader that skims over basically almost the whole paragraph and has to read it 10 times, this is so helpful!
as someone with adhd, wow. this is amazing i can read so much better!
I'm dyslexic and this font makes reading a million times easier for me. It helps me stay focused, not get stuck and read much faster than "normal". so I really appreciate this font.
I'm dyslexic- this bionic text was significantly easier to read. Far less letter and word scrambling. So smooth and clear to comprehend. It made me think of when I was teaching my sons to read with highlighter/underling/chopstick point certian parts of words. Keep your curiosity!
This was disorienting to read. This reminds me of a discussion I had with my friends and teachers in college. It went like this, since technology became handheld people have been finding easier ways to make the masses dumber and easier to control. Like how app thumbnail used to have descriptive titles while now the app is big and detailed and the names are either simple or non existent on some people's devices. I've seen it too, I've been across half of America. Also where is his test being taken? If it's being done at a place where people were already smart and have high intelligence scores then I'd say this was a waste of time and money like the study where they tried to see if cocaine would affect a birds mating ritual (b******t the scientists wanted to get paid and snort that cocaine). Now if this was being done in the ghettos (I'm raised here) where the reading scores between both youth and adults aren't all the same them and if it was a success then I'd gladly rescind my statement.
I wanted to respond to this the day it came out but I was suspended for a yo mama joke when I've made more thought provoking statements or trolls. I've also seen worse and really uneducated statements from other people on here. This article unless was being done where people have a hard time learning was a waste of time and sponsorship funding. God forbid if this was government sponsored then it this a waste of our tax payer money to study smart people get smarter when we have people both young and old who can't even read or do basic math.
Load More Replies...I absolutely hate it. It's like speed bumps for my brain- it slows me down while being actually painful.
I get that it's ok for some people but confuses my brain and slows my reading down
I read super fast, but lose focus. This works so well for me! (I also miss the double spacing after the period in sentences.)
Interesting, very interesting. It does absolutely nothing for me. While I'm reading comments here how it's helpful to some and not to others, it simply doesn't work for me. It's just like reading normal text. And yes, I totally skipped the first paragraph, sorry Original poster Panda...
This doesn't work for me. I think it slows me down. I'm also worried that readers who already struggle to follow through while decoding will make even more errors with comprehension because they will be computing the wrong word. I'm interested to see the research on it though. My daughter says she thinks it's helpful.
I'm already a fast reader and this made me blow myself outta the water.
It gives me headache within 2 second I have astigmatism so this font do trigger it. Personally it's the sadly not so used anymore comic Sans ms , it was made for dislexic
Honestly, I've always read that way without the words being highlighted. It's just the way the brain works. It comes naturally without the reader realizing it. Highlighting the start of the word has just brought attention to what everyone has been doing already.
It works for me but I've been a fast reader for all my life and it just feels like the visualisation of the way I am reading already. But for anyone who has trouble with speed reading, this font might be a big help.
I hate it, it's too distracting. I'd rather just have a 'clean' font, without all the extra lines and ish
I read very quickly in English, but not so much in other languages. Some of that may be attributed to mental processing time for the non-native language itself. I did feel that this bolding technique tended to pull my eyes along, though I felt it might lose its effectiveness once I became accustomed to it. It also eliminates the effectiveness of emboldened text. I did perceive an occasional dissonance where the bolded portion of the word is not properly the accented syllable of the vocalized word. Boldface will always symbolize for me an emphasis or stress on the bolded text. I did wonder, though, whether this technique could possibly facilitate my reading at greater speed in Hebrew, wherein my speech is more fluid than my textual absorption.
It doesn't really let you focus on one part. You still focus on both parts of the word. it helps you see more of the word at once. You are not skipping anything, your brain still registers whole picture, even if you don't. And it's definietly not "relaxing" for your eyes. Quite opposite.
Guilty, skipped the first paragraph. I think it makes for a more focused read, but it feels harsher to me while reading.
I have several friends who say this really helps them focus. I’m a speed reader who never had reading difficulty, and trying to read too much of this gives me a headache. My brain stops on each of the bold letters and I feel like I’m being hit in the head with a hammer. It’s amazing how differently every brain processes things! I wonder if this would help any of my kids with their reading. Keep up the amazing research and work!
I did a little bit of speed reading training many years ago. I don't often use it because it can best be described as skimming the text. The trick is to read as little as possible to gain the meaning without pronouncing every single word in your head. This font essentially is a shortcut to doing that and just makes it a lot more natural. It works.
I read books very quickly, but I have a hard time reading on a computer screen. That little sample has convinced me to give it a go!
It's so helpful for me! I have ADHD but I'm a fast reader so I usually lose focus and gloss over words and need to backtrack
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