To think reading is overrated. Persuade me to become a reader pls

[Croissantsfordinner]

Something I would never admit IRL. I just never saw the point of reading if not for a bit of entertainment, which is nice, but why is it so much better than watching a film o listening to an audio story?

If you think it is overated then dont do it, why would you want to feel forced into something you dont want to do? people have a brain so they should use it more and make decisions for themsleves

Wow that is a lot of books

do you ever read a book then need a break as you have become so involved in the book or can you just move on to the next book ?

im a slow reader and often have to read a page twice I don’t find reading always that easy and never have but still love reading a book I am really enjoying

I'm not the poster you addressed, but for me if it was a particularly powerful or insightful book I have read for the first time, I need to sit with it a while before picking up my next. If it's one of the (many) old favourites or comic novels I am fine to grab the next and keep going.

I read Ithaca by Claire North on the weekend, and I'm having a day off books while I think about it all. Iit was an interesting perspective on an old story and I wanted to think it through. But I'll be starting the next book tomorrow.

This came up in the Guardian lest week:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/06/new-poll-finds-40-of-britons-have-not-read-a-book-in-the-past-year

This. There's a reason the cliche is "getting lost in a book". Films can be engrossing but not all absorbing like losing yourself in a novel.

It's better in that studies show reading increases your intelligence.

Some info;
www.healthline.com/health/does-reading-make-you-smarter

Reading books on an electronic device has the same effect as reading one in traditional book form. It's the act of reading, not what you use to read, which helps your brain.

I absolutely love reading. I have about 10 books on the go. I can’t walk into a Waterstones without buying something.
Also I really can’t be bothered to persuade you. if you can’t be bothered to read that’s on you. It doesn’t matter what I tell you about the psychological or cognitive benefits it’s not really going to make a difference, is it?

Reading fiction is superior in the development of empathy and imagination. Other than that it doesn't much matter what you read. I would think academic papers would be an excellent brain booster and there are obviously other ways to develop empathy and imagination.

Apparently not:

https://www.snexplores.org/article/learn-comprehension-reading-digital-screen-paper

That's true for young people learning. I was talking about adults who aren't trying to learn, but just want to keep their brains in good form. Just because it's better for learning does not mean you can extrapolate those results to another scenario. But I appreciate the info.

I think the study is about reading in general, not just young people learning.

What a ridiculous POV.

If someone prefers the book, they're a 'snob'?

I don't give a toss what people prefer, but name-calling anyone for having a different POV is so lame.

Its not that books are inherently better than films/TV (although they kind of are), its that proper literature is generally on a higher level. If you are just going to read pop fiction and the generic trash you find in a train station Waterstones then you might as well just watch TV or Hollywood, it doesn't really matter. But there is no TV/movie equivalent of actual literature

Noone serious is going to claim that Dan Brown books are better than films like Ikiru or My Dinner With Andre or Caché or whatever, there are obviously lots of films that are artistically superior to 99% of books.

Also I doubt there's much difference between "reading" a book and listening to the audiobook, as long as the latter is done in a fully focused way. The problem with audiobooks isnt anything inherent to the medium, its that people often listen to them in distracted settings like when they are driving or doing housework. Thats fine if you're listening to Harry Potter, but not so much if its Sons and Lovers.

Avoiding the obvious jibe I shall just point out that "only snobs think this" isn't the same as "only snobs read".

And, although I am an avaricious reader, I happen to agree with the sentiment that it is snobbish to judge people based on their choice of pastime.

Books are brilliant.

An endless source of escapism& entertainment that doesn't need batteries or a subscription. Can be picked up and put down, taken on trains, stuffed in a bag, fabulous for relaxing and getting to sleep. They leave so much more to the imagination than films do.

And non fiction is just as good. A shelf full of cook books to browse, for inspiration on a Saturday morning. Gardening books, travel books. Teach yourself diy or how to service a mountain bike.

If the power goes down (as ours does), reading by a battery lantern in front of the fire. Bliss.

I love films & tv but books will always have their place.🤗

I used to love reading but I can't concentrate like I used to but still go through times where I read a lot, it's just not consistent.
Reading is such a solitary thing to do and no matter how good a film is the story its no where near as in depth as the book. It's just impossible due to time. It's also really easy to fit in whereas a film you generally have to give up at least 1.5 hours.
If it's something you don't like to do though there really is no point. For me it's an escape from reality and you can really get lost in a book

I really don't enjoy watching TV. Covid ruined it for me. That immediate switch to working online meant TV was just another screen to watch and I never really got into it again.

I watch a handful of things but given a choice I'll read a book. I just find it more enjoyable.

That doesn't make me a snob, it's just my preference and what I find relaxing.

I have always loved reading though, as a child it was my way of learning about the world. I grew up quite poor and we rarely went on holiday or travelled out of area (I was an adult the first time I visited London or went abroad) so reading exposed me to different ways of life and cultures.

This is quite an odd question. I read because I enjoy reading and hate TV. You are entitled to your opinion and I have no desire to talk you out of it.

A lot of people just love reading, in the same way that a lot of people love cooking or making ships-in-bottles. DH and I have too much stuff, and I have to clear out about 50% of my books because we just don't have space but it's really hard letting go of them. Terry Pratchett is my comfort blanket, so funny, and earthy and cynical and optimistic all in one. Steinbeck still says so much to us about humanity's treatment of the "working poor", and he died in 1968! Some people love true crime... I love the puzzle of a well-written fictional one. Ben Goldacre's incredibly accessible books on bad science should be compulsory reading before you're allowed to vote (in my opinion).
There are definitely some people who think that reading is somehow more "worthy" than film or audio books. Those people are snobs. There's nothing more inherently "worthy" in reading if you don't enjoy it. One of my relatives is severely dyslexic, and can't read for fun at all, but loves an audiobook, or a film, and why shouldn't they?

I've had phases of this too, it's pure escapism (although mine was YA horror!)! Not everything has to be deep and meaningful all the time, there's definitely a place for all types of writing.

I just move on to the next book. I am a fast reader though and I have insomnia so end up reading at night. Last year I read 220 books on my kindle. I did read a few actual books but don't know how many.

I read books at weekends usually morning and late afternoon when I have some time to enjoy them.

I listen to audiobooks when driving/cleaning/gardening.

I watch films at the cinema

I watch tv in the evenings.

Do whatever makes you happy. Reading is not necessarily better than a different art form but it brings me pleasure as i can lose myself in a story in a way I can't with anything else.

When you read YOU are the director. You conjure up the sound and inflections and mannerisms of the characters.

I love books and also listen to Audiobooks but in my opinion, reading books is òften more absorbing and therefore, a more intense experience of the story than with an Audiobook or film.

I'm talking about novels of course. I think for a documentary I prefer film.