My last post got me thinking about a question, and that is, "does reading actually lead to a person making a change?" I think of it in terms of weight loss, but it could applied to any area.
I wonder if much of the diet books that are being purchased are being purchased by the same people. In other words, people keep reading and reading, but never really take any action.
I almost think there is some type of evolutionary module involved here, because the publishing industry is so huge. There might be some sort of evolutionary predisposition to consuming information, whether or not that information can ever be applied. Now with the internet and blogs, there is an unlimited amount of material that can be read. But is all this reading getting anyone to change?
If someone wants to lose weight, the best way to do it in my opinion is a Paleo diet of fruits, vegetables, and meat. Now I just said this in one sentence or I could write a 300-page book about it, but the basic advice does not change. And I'm starting to think that more reading not only does not help, but may in fact be detrimental. It may shift people more towards contemplation than action - essentially "trapping" people in an endless cycle of information consumption.
