A quote from the Discussion section:
"Most of the studies on line length report faster
reading with longer lines, and point to the number of
characters as the variable responsible for the differences, rather than physical line length (visual angle)."
The OP thinks that humans read thinner columns faster. Generally, this seems not to be the case, so maybe we should treat his main conclusion with some skepticism. In any case, it's probably best to refer to the scientific literature.
How physical text layout affects reading from screen https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220208446_How_physi...
A quote from the Discussion section: "Most of the studies on line length report faster reading with longer lines, and point to the number of characters as the variable responsible for the differences, rather than physical line length (visual angle)."
The OP thinks that humans read thinner columns faster. Generally, this seems not to be the case, so maybe we should treat his main conclusion with some skepticism. In any case, it's probably best to refer to the scientific literature.