To think being a reader doesn't make you better or smarter?

I agree, OP.

I'm a massive reader. I love it. Don't think my DH has ever read a novel. He is most definitely NOT a reader. He's smarter than I am in lots of ways.

I'm university educated. He isn't. He's generally smarter than me. And more successful.

Also worth remembering that intelligence does not always mean you have common sense.

Not so much. Of course it depends on what you consider the purpose of reading - if it is just to acquire knowledge, then what you read is important (quality, accuracy etc).

However, our brains respond exactly the same to any form of written material, in terms of engaging, cognitive response and so on.

People should read what they enjoy.

Being a voracious reader as a child definitely gave me a leg up education wise. I was always good at spelling, comprehension etc as well as learning an awful lot. As an adult, I don’t think reading regular novels would contribute much to one’s intelligence or knowledge but I suppose it depends on the novels.

I guess, it's because you are using your imagination which makes reading an activity whereas watching TV is passive. I struggle to read a book in the evenings but quite happily watch TV which suggests that reading is more cognitively challenging. Reading also trains attention and concentration.

At school I had above my age group levels for vocabulary, reading, spelling and grammar. The lad next to me could barely read, and used to ask constantly ‘Bashful, how do you spell…..?’

I remember being off school for a week with tonsillitis and on the day I returned, (primary 6),we had a spelling test. Everyone had a few days to prepare, except for me. I got 100% (I thought it was really easy). I was praised but i felt confused as it wasn’t difficult to me. My weakness has always been maths. Arithmetic is fine but as soon as the alphabet and demonic symbols appear I just cannot be bothered.

My teacher attributed everything to me being an avid reader. I have always been a reader but I do think like any other pastime you either enjoy it or you don’t.

It depends very much on what you read.

I think being a reader gives you a good vocabulary and can give you information on a lot of different topics, depending on what you read.

Saying that - I’m an avid reader but I don’t think it makes me better or smarter than anybody else. I read because I love it and it’s my favourite thing to do.

You can learn from lots of things - online sources, TV, movies, life experiences.

There is a unique aspect to reading, however - it's not purely about the content you are consuming, it's the cognitive and emotional benefits from the form of engagement with the text, the imagined world (whether in a novel, or understanding a new landscape within a non-fiction text). This is borne out in research.

In terms of learning (I work in this area), while e-resources have their place (online books, e-journal articles and so on), cognitively, we learn and retain information more effectively from physical texts, especially if we engage with them physically - highlighting key parts, writing notes etc.

However, being a reader doesn't make anyone 'superior'. I would argue it's beneficial for everyone to read, in some form, with some regularity. Some people will be avid readers, others less so, just like it's beneficial for everyone to be physically active in some way, but some people will be very sporty / active, and others only moderately so. None of the choices around how individuals spend their free time equates to being superior (or inferior if you don't).

Most people read the news, or read things on their phone, it’s still reading. I don’t think it necessarily makes you any more clever. You could watch dozens of film genres, watch hundreds of plays, visit thousands of art galleries to broaden your horizons. I could for example only read ‘chick-lit’, I wouldn’t say I would be more knowledgeable or superior to you in that respect.

I love reading, I read fiction every day. My husband isn’t as keen, but he’s definitely not less intelligent than me!

Yes. Good for concentration. Helps at work

Agree with this.

Nope - I am an avid reader, mostly of dystopian fiction or Sci-fi / Sci-fantasy and that gets looked down on too. I have read many classic works I just prefer my leisure time to be spent with elves or zombies. You prefer art / dance. I have zero artistic interest and think those who do are rather high-brow so I'll look up to you!

Doesn’t that dependon how you define intelligence though?

I wouldn’t define someone who is good at corporate stuff as particularly intelligent.

To be honest there's a lot of snobbery within the book community anyway - heaven forbid you like Freida McFadden! 😂

There’s a list of reasons why it’s different. We attend differently to different media. It’s self-paced and tactile, which is good for memory. Our brains do really interesting things while reading, for meaning. They’ve done fascinating work on eye tracking and reading. How we pause, flick back, skim, jump around for meaning. You don’t do that with a TV series.

To be honest a lot of recent popular fiction is quickly written novels that are aimed to cash in on the latest trend and really aren't that great.
There seems to be loads of romance novels based around sports at the moment. Many are poorly written and they are all very samey (also see plots about women opening their "dream" tea shops 😂).
Someone could be reading 2 or 3 of those types of books a week. Does that make them more intelligent than someone who doesn't enjoy novels but does go to the theatre/cultural events?

Reading doesn't make you smarter as in improving your IQ, but it might can give you more knowledge and skills.

Having an enquiring mind can do the same without you ever having to pick up a book.

Having an enquiring mind probably makes you pick up books and read them.

It depends what you read. I’m only an occasional pleasure reader these days as life is full on and I have reading to do for work so tend to concentrate on that.

I know lots of people however who are voracious readers but when you ask about it you find they read absolute nonsense chick lit brain rot type books aimed at a reading / emotional age of about 12. The literary equivalent of Love Island.

I think for me it’s the amount you can learn from reading versus visual media that take the same time. I groan when someone links me to a video because it’s so slow and minimal compared to reading. Thank goodness it’s common to be able to access a transcript as well.

However, of course visual media offers other forms of knowledge and experience.

Neither do a lot of books!

They don’t have the depth though.

I think it massively improves your vocabulary range. It is also one way to learn about how language is structured.

Like anything else really when you read you often pick up factual things without realising it that later resurface when you least expect it. I won a few competitions in the pre Internet days because I had happened to have come across the answer to the question in a book I had read. But the same could be said for watching a film or chatting with the next door neighbour I imagine

What I don't know is what people do instead of reading? When you are travelling/ commuting. when you wait for a doctor's appointment, when you are ill, when you are in hospital.

There's only so much time you can spend mindlessly scrolling, and even that is a very recent thing - no one had a smart phone when I was a teen, I am that old. So what people do?

There's so much time that would be wasted if you didn't, so much information you'd miss, I don't know about smart but I think non-readers are missing something.