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

[OnceaReaderNeveraReader]

Never been a reader. I have tried many times in my life and have enjoyed the odd book here and there but have never managed to actually become a regular reader and don't miss books ever. I was talking about this with some colleagues the other day and one of them made me feel a bit bad about this as if reading is a sign of better intellectual ability and superiority.
I am uni educated and enjoy a variety of other cultural hobbies such as art, theatre and dance but I just cannot understand what is so special about books!
How does one become a reader later in life and is it really that bad if I don't enjoy it?

FWIW, I also have complete aphantasia so can’t picture anything at all in my head but I am a voracious reader of fiction, it doesn’t hamper my enjoyment at all.

I am terrible at directions though… and story telling.

no I don't entirely agree. I have come across readers who think that makes them smarter "better" than people who don't read.

the stories i read only give different psychological and emotional perspectives,

overall reading for the enjoyment of reading eg harry potter, or jack reacher books etc to me only gives you better vocab

to gain knowledge or information then it needs to be non fictional books eg manuals or how to guides etc then i would cosider reading to help make you smarter.

its like watching tv if your watching how to guides or history documentarys etc then yes thats making you smarter, but just watching for enjoyment of it does not make one smarter

It is sad.

I think it really depends on what kinds of books you mean and whether you consider intelligence as something that can be acquired, as opposed to knowledge can certainly can be.

If someone spends a lot of time reading books on a particular topic (astro-physics, medieval history) then they will absolutely become more knowledgeable (on that topic) but I don't know if that makes them more intelligent. Similarly, someone who reads a broadsheet newspaper from cover to cover every day is probably better informed on current events. On the other hand someone who reads a Mills and Boon novel every day is probably neither more knowledgeable nor more informed as a result.

So to answer your question, @OnceaReaderNeveraReader no, I don't think the simple act of reading makes people smarter or better.

On a related topic, my son was recently diagnosed as dyslexic and we were encouraged to get him audio books that he could listed to while he read, so he could hear the words that he struggled with. As a result, I have become hooked on audio books and listen to them constantly in the car. But am I now able to tell people I have "read" a book because I have essentially had it read to me? This isn't like watching a movie of the book. I do listen to every word. But somehow I do feel that there is a kudos readers get from some people that that listeners may not receive.

Reading does make you smarter. Smarter doesn't automatically mean better. Many other interests and hobbies also make you smarter.

Avidly avid reader here
"Just reading a 1st person narrative immediately puts you in the mental space of another person."
Nope I never find this happens to me. I am always on the outside of the story looking in.

totally agree.

I think it is a shame to not generally be able to enjoy books, there's so much to enjoy if you can.. Also I think books can better convey some things than TV & film, though vice versa applies too ofc

If you did want to read a book, what kind of genre do you think you'd like?

mills and boons are the main type of books / themes i read at the moment mainly for the psychological studys of romance aspects

Even if the person telling the story had a lot of similarity with you?

I see another commenter has mentioned this condition, but as I read your question I wondered if you had aphantasia (so an inability to visualise things in your mind’s eye). I read an interesting feature about it last week (possibly in The Times) and a commenter below the line mentioned they had this condition and as a result they never read fiction, as they couldn’t use the words to build images…

Studies have shown reading fiction can increase empathy, but there are caveats & ofc films & TV can too.

Depends what you read, surely?

Film & TV probably work in a different way as deciphering & interpreting text vs images & dialogue.Both can be beneficial.

All of those things require multiple other people to interpret and bring stuff to life for you. With reading, it’s just the author/book and your mind. No go betweens. It’s a very individual experience that way.

Like the person to whom you were responding, I could never be with someone who didn’t read.

Gosh. And there was me reading Alistair Maclean, Nevil Shute, Gerald Durrell and National Geographic at the age of 14. Now I know where I went wrong. I should have been paying more attention to the dull as ditchwater Jane Eyre.

In Michael Mosley's Radio 4 series "Just One Thing" he talked about the benefits of reading - amongst other things it can boost your brain power and improve social bonds as it increases your human empathy & understanding

After reading the whole thread, I think it is interesting that almost every post comes from a mnettter whose username I recognise as having made interesting contributions over the years I've been here, even those with whom I sometimes disagree.

So yes, reading does make us better. This isn't a moral judgement, but there's nobody posting on this thread whose posts betray an inability to articulate their thoughts, feelings and opinions.

On that point alone, it is a mahoosive tick for the power of reading.

I wish they'd go back to the thin really cheap M+B books.
They were "pocket money" prices several years back and being slim books they were quick to read and you could fit them in your pocket.
They're regular paperback price now. It's doesn't feel like treating yourself anymore 🙁
I do sometimes buy the People's Friend/My Weekly cheap little novels now instead.

Reading is something stupid people think intelligent people do.

nope.

I think as a child, children who read do certainly have broader knowledge and better vocabulary than those who don't but as you get older, adults pick up skills and knowledge and so the gap narrows.

First tweet (or whatever they are now) in my twitter feed.

Books don’t run out of battery, get mysteriously edited overnight, or require large sums of money to access. Reading is a good habit. It may even make you smarter, just because you have to be able to concentrate and focus. Children who read are definitely going to be ahead of their peers who don’t.

My post isn't a judgement on you or your reading or intellect, nor it is my opinion so don't take it so personally. It is a response to the OP's question. There is research on literary and classic fiction specifically it doesn't mean there is no benefit to lighter reading or genre fiction.