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Originally Posted by orcinus
Because, according to human interface research, it's more comfortable and ergonomic to read text sorted in many narrow and short columns than a single big, tall one.
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This is true and is the reason behind big format newspapers doing so. As eyesight diminishes it becomes harder to direct one's gaze on a horizontal straight path with a regular eye movement. The eyes move rather in small sharp increments making it easy to skip from one to an other line, bringing confusion and frustration to many readers. Narrow columns favorize this eye movement peculiarity, and uses instead the brain's 'flash read' interpretation to comprehend the end of one line before switching to the next. 'Flash read' differs in individuals from two words to six.
If a column is too narrow, the length of certain words that can fit in the allowed space changes the rythm of the eye movement; again making it uncomfortable.