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

I would have thought being able to focus and concentrate for longer periods of time is good for your brain, as is using your own imagination

I disagree, I don't inherently think that you can say person a who reads is more clever than person b. However, I do think that reading allows you to learn about the world and humanity, helps improve things like empathy and explore the world through different points of view and therefore as an individual, I do think it improves who you are.
There are studies that suggest that reading improves intelligence although there's some arguments for correlation rather than causation. There is evidence to say it is vital for children to read in order to develop and I think given we know much of our grey matter can be moulded and changed even when we get older, it makes sense that reading continues to benefit our brains.

One of the most intelligent people I know who writes industrial reports and advises companies on their strategy never picks up a book. I read for pleasure not to be smarter. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t do it. Playing chess is supposed to be for smart people but I have no interest in it. Doesn’t make me thick-have more faith in yourself!

I'm an avid reader but I think it's unfair to say people can't learn from TV or movies - it's surprising how many times I've known the answer to a question and when my friends queried how I knew it and it's because it was in 'Family Guy' of all things 😂

I don't think reading makes you smarter but in answer to your question of how one becomes a reader later in life it's like most things - you find your genre. And your writing style. You find an author you like who's books you don't mind and maybe you read more of them.

And if you still don't like reading that doesn't matter either. My friends are always wanting to do arts and crafts which I don't really like because anything I make looks a bit rubbish anyway. We all have our hobbies!

Simply having books in the house is connected to children’s literacy, numeracy and tech skills. Not even reading them. Just them being there.

Which does imply that adults reading is a social good. It’s probably correlation not causation. I assume both things are correlated with a third (or moreth) thing. Income, level of education, class - probably all correlate with educational attainment.

On a personal level, rather than a population level, of course you can be wildly clever and educated without reading novels. But statistically, reading is associated with good outcomes.

I know that being a reader gives ME some smarts that I wouldn’t otherwise have. I can’t help noticing that in certain areas of knowledge I just do know a lot more than other people, and that is purely through reading - fiction and nonfiction. I also have the joy of really enjoying it. There’s nothing like being transported instantly and completely into another life or another mind. Only reading can do that for me.

The fact is though that it’s lucky I can learn via reading, because I struggle to learn any other way. My understanding of anything three dimensional or numerical is incredibly poor. My visual observation is average at best, my memory is awful, I have a terrible recall of faces, my muscle memory is just as bad. Listening I can in theory learn but in practice I tend to switch off/fall asleep very quickly and it can take weeks to get through a serious radio programme.

Reading can do so much - but only so much. I agree with you that just because someone doesn’t read for pleasure, it doesn’t mean they aren’t intelligent, capable and knowledgeable.

I've never been a fan of crosswords. Other puzzles yes, just not those, and one day we were discussing them at work and I said I couldn't get anywhere with crosswords and had never liked them - particularly not the cryptic sort.

My colleague said "Ooh, I'd think there was something seriously wrong with me if I wasn't able to do the crossword every day!".

My dc are both readers, as am I. I definitely think it helps improve spelling, grammar amd vocabulary, as well as general knowledge. It doesn't make anyone better than anyone else but it potentially can make someone smarter.

I've always read, my sister rarely reads - I am smarter than her but who knows if that's down to reading🤷🏻‍♀️

I think it increases awareness. Novels or text books increase knowledge of facts, histories and contexts. You just picking up as you go. So it broadens you.

I wouldn’t be with someone who didn’t read.

@OnceaReaderNeveraReader some novels I just really can't read. I struggle with fantasy or sci-fi because I can't visualise the scenes very well. I need real world settings.
I quite like historical stories but nothing really set before the Victorian era. I sometimes think that because I can "picture" the scenes in my head because we still have a lot of Victorian buildings/parks etc in existence so I can use places I have seen and know as my visual guide.
Apparently that's kind of a "thing" - being able to read the words but not picture the scenes in your head which makes it hard to follow the story.
Do you experience that?
There's some books I could only read after having watched a TV or film adaptation because I need the visual prompts.

I know about google and internet etc, 😂, but the best source of information is still books.

Depends on what your interests are, and books can get out of date very quickly.

I think to a certain extent, reading does make you smarter. Or at least, it makes you more literate. Obviously it helps develop your reading but it also enhances all of your writing abilities, your ability to punctuate, to create well constructed sentences, to paragraph, widens your vocabulary.

It absolutely doesn't have to be literature though. Reading anything does that, other than stuff at the level of tabloids, which have an exceptionally low reading age (around the age of 8 or 9).

The whole of education is predicated on reading ergo it makes you smarter.

I think, especially today, non-readers tend to ignore books in favour of tv and phones. SOME non-readers, obviously.

So in that context, they obviously have less interests in life and general knowledge.

I am uni educated and enjoy a variety of other cultural hobbies such as art, theatre and dance
It's far from being the case for all non-readers, and genuine question, if not in books, where would you learn about the context, political, historical..and about artist biography etc? I am not being goady, where else than books.

I know about google and internet etc, 😂, but the best source of information is still books.

I think reading does make you smarter. Just like participating in quizzes, learning a language, or watching documentaries.
Not taking part in regular reading, however, does not make you not clever!!
I don't enjoy films. Same reaction.

I've always been a big reader, but not literature. I love books about things, like science.

I don't read books much any more but I do think that my spelling and grammar and punctuation is better than it would have been for having done so when I was younger.
Doesn't make me any better than anyone else though.
Those who read the classics or Shakespeare I think tend to have a sense of superiority but although I tried, I couldn't get past trying to analyse every line.
I want to know what they are meaning without having to think about it.
I don't get interpretive art either.
Neither do I think too deeply about stuff. I find this life is far simpler if you are pretty shallow 😉

It depends on how you learn. I learn to spell by physically writing a word. So when I had to report write, my spelling improved. The quality of what you are reading would make a difference. That also applies to what you watch and if you are curious enough to then want to expand your knowledge.

Apparently being a reader means you could be a writer.

I'm an obsessive reader and I just regard it as one of my quirks, it doesn't make me superior. Like @Tulcan I don't listen to music - I prefer silence (so I can read) or talk. I like music well enough but just don't go to it myself.

I think it probably makes you better at spelling and perhaps I occasionally you absorb general knowledge little things that come out of nowhere in za pub quiz otherwise be happy not reading it shouldn't matter to anyone else

I think being a reader has the potential to make you (one) better and smarter, but it's not the only thing that does.

I think it’s a part of making you smarter. As are the things that you enjoy. They are stimulating and they can broaden your view of the world. I don’t listen to any music at all. When I tell people that I get a similar reaction to the one you get!