Here’s how watching videos at 2x speed is reworking your brain — and the age group most impacted

The accelerated and nan curious?

If you’re a large instrumentality of watching videos connected nan net — for illustration via TikTok, YouTube aliases Masterclass — chances are you’ve grown accustomed to listening to group speak astatine Looney Tunes speed.

Speed-watching has go an progressively communal measurement to devour contented since it enables nan assimilation of accusation successful half nan clip aliases more.

But person you ever wondered astir nan effect that it’s having connected your brain? An world squad of researchers group retired to find conscionable that.

The group examined 24 studies that mostly progressive placing participants into 2 groups — 1 successful which they listened to a video astatine normal velocity and different successful which nan aforesaid video was presented astatine 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x and 2.5x normal speed.

Afterwards, some groups were asked to complete tests that assessed really good they retained nan video’s content.

While not overmuch of a quality was recorded astatine 1.5x, representation retention decidedly took a deed astatine 2x and above.

“Incoming accusation is stored temporarily successful a representation strategy called working memory,” Marcus Pearce, who researches cognitive subject astatine Queen Mary University of London, wrote this week successful The Conversation astir nan study.

“This allows chunks of accusation to beryllium transformed, mixed and manipulated into a shape that is fresh for transportation to nan semipermanent memory.”

Pearce notes that moving representation tin only process a definite magnitude of accusation astatine a clip — excessively overmuch astatine erstwhile tin lead to cognitive overload and nonaccomplishment of information.

The technological takeaway is to instrumentality to 1.25x aliases 1.5x speed, particularly for unfamiliar, analyzable content.

The findings were precocious published successful nan diary Educational Psychology Review.

It’s tempting to deliberation that nan measurement we devour contented coming only affects young, processing minds — but this investigation suggests otherwise.

Adults aged 61 to 94 were much impacted by nan faster speeds than those 18 to 36 years old.

A 2023 study recovered that older adults spot a 31 % driblet successful knowing astatine conscionable 1.5x speed, compared to younger peers who support complete 90 % comprehension astatine 2x.

What’s unclear, astatine this point, is whether nan rumor is property aliases believe — meaning, are younger adults amended astatine consuming contented astatine faster speeds because their minds are much pliable aliases is it simply because they’ve trained their brains by doing it much often?

If it’s nan latter, tin older adults improve?

The constricted investigation we person indicates that, sadly, nan reply is not truthful much.

Younger brains are simply much adaptable, though studies do propose that older adults tin train to get better, moreover if they often require much clip and apt deed a plateau sooner.

If older adults want to rewire their brains for speed-watching, a deliberate programme of gradual velocity training, retention checks and cognitive boosting is nan astir promising route.

The bully news is that experts opportunity that consuming contented astatine normal velocity really makes it much enjoyable for everyone.

Tell that to Netflix honchos, who drew ire 5 years agone erstwhile they introduced a arguable feature that allows viewers to watch their contented up to 1.5x speed. So overmuch for Netflix and chill.