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?

Mhm, I'm sorry but reading widely does make people more aware, interesting and knowledgable.

It's ok not to like reading but it does make a difference. I admit that I haven't read much in the last few years due to daily busyness and stress but I always feel more switched on when I read books, especial now when we are saturated with instantly gratifying digital media. In my view reading is an act of self care and self development.

Maybe you haven't found your genre yet op.

I've dated non readers and found they lack depth, general knowledge, understanding, curiosity, conversation. So much goes in just by osmosis.

This isn't to say you're stupid or ignorant. There are many ways to skin that cat. But my husband is a massive reader and it's always interesting to talk to him and travel with him.

*business

Should read more to improve my spelling

@NooNooHead sorry to hear about your head injury.
I read a lot of graphic novels which is good way of still getting a good story but having the pictures can help with visualising what's going on.
I grew up in the era of weekly comics (Bunty, Tammy, Mandy etc) and thinking about it I did enjoy some of the stories that were sci-fi or fantasy. But if I try to read a novel of those genres I just can't.

As PP have pointed out, there's a difference between intelligence, education, and wisdom! I read a huge amount when I was younger, and devoured books. Now I rarely read books, but go down Wikipedia rabbit-holes and learn about all sorts of things that way. In leisure time I prefer to watch films, or (gasp!) play computer games, and I don't feel that they're innately inferior.

In all cases, the devil's in the details. A lot of games are more emotionally involving and thought-provoking than a lot of books!

To those saying you can learn as much from film… reading is active participation whereas watching is passive. It doesn’t engage the brain in the same ways.

I read about 100 books a year mostly fiction either romance or thrillers. It can make you more knowledgeable about some subjects and definitely helps you to know lots of words.
I wouldn’t say reading makes you a better person than a non reader but it shows an interest in learning even if all you are learning is wether the MC will live happily ever after.
in terms of becoming a reader, think about what you might enjoy- crime? Thriller, romance etc (probably similar to your film preferences) Ask for recommendations, or try a book you enjoyed the film adaptation. If you don’t want to invest in loads of new books join a library.
Then treat it like a box set, try and find 30 min )or more!) every evening to read.
when you find a book you like go on Good Reads or fantastic fiction for more by the same author or similar picks.

I love reading… read 3 books over Xmas. I don’t read anything even remotely intellectual… I do want to visit shetlands after reading that series and a whole host of other places…

Not sure about older children/adults but certainly young children and toddlers it benefits massively, as an experienced teacher I could easily tell the ones who were read to at home, whether that was because their language was better, their writing, their comprehension and understanding, it also impacts attention span and concentration.
Nowadays it is even easier to tell the difference because of screens....the disparity is vast.
Reading at a young age doesn't necessarily keep you smart as you get older but it definetly helps with your writing and imagination, spelling tests and it is great for mental health.
My daughter is 6 and has a reading age of 12 her comprehension is staggering but it also means her writing is above her age level as she knows different words she wouldn't encounter usually and her descriptive writing is better too.
In Y2 when they introduced maths questions where you need to problem solve she has also fared better as she can understand and dissect the information better.

I knew someone would take umbrage at that comment - they was a lot of covid craziness on MN at the time after all.

Some of the rules were very silly, were proven to be very silly and quite rightly were questioned.

I'm a reader. I read every night. It has not made me any more intelligent. I'm pretty sure I learn more from articles on social media and watching TV. I don't get the snobbery around it. I do it because for me it's relaxing and helps me settle for sleep.

Reading is a workout for your brain. It helps with focus, memory, empathy, and keeping your mind sharp. Your brain actually rewires itself while you read—and the benefits stick around even after you close the book.

*there

I don’t know. Reading allows you to come across new words, which you might not have otherwise come across.

You can also learn about new cultures and experiences you might not.

Reading non-fiction allows you to gain knowledge.

I think that is just you though? I have learned loads about the classics from listening to Radio 4 podcasts, learned far more from watching The World at War as a teenager than I did from reading my GCSE history textbooks, and have learned more from visiting museums than I have from reading popular history books.

This.

Watching a movie or film is generally passive consumption though I appreciate some people can get more out of watching then others.

However, it is not possible (or enjoyable) to read a book unless you actively engage with it. When you read, you control the pace. So if you needed to break off to think about what you read or look up something, you can do it and then rejoin the book at a later. It slows down your thinking and makes it deeper, richer and more meaningful.

Studies have shown that reading regularly is beneficial for staving off dementia but watching TV not so much. In fact, vegging in front of the TV is not good for brain health.

"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."

Nonfiction is often meant to be educational. Fiction is a bit different though. Yes, you pick things up about certain time periods etc., but I don't think you're necessarily learning a lot of useful things.
To give an example, I was really surprised a few years ago that some people don't know what an ostler is. If you read novels from certain time periods, these workers always come up, but it's not really essential or particularly useful knowledge. Also, you can pick the same things up from audio books and TV adaptations.
I barely read books now because I'm always on my phone, but I'm getting a lot of information from the internet.

The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it's as if a hand has come out and taken yours.

I love this.

Novels tend to go deeper, would be my answer to that. Not always, but often. Not suggesting that means you should read them, just giving my perspective.

I'm an ex English teacher and lecturer, and a writer. I guess I'm supposed to say that reading makes you a better person but I really don't think it does. It's a good idea to try some recommendations (you'll get plenty!) but If you don't enjoy it, don't do it. (I should add that despite my career and qualifications, I really don't like theatre. I like reading plays but just don't like seeing them acted out. And yet I do like films. We're all different.)

I can spend hours and hours and hours mindlessly scrolling.

Before I had a smart phone I would have read a magazine (apparently doesn't count as reading for OP's colleagues) or daydreamed.

The only time I read a book these days is when my phone has to be on flight mode when travelling and occasionally on holiday.

I love reading and I have a education that ended at GCSE level .
Take from that what you will.

I suppose the thing about a book is that good writing conjures up a whole world in your imagination. In a way, no two people read the same book in the same way - hence disappointment at "miscasting" in film adaptations, because you've visualised them quite differently in your mind's eye. It's a sort of dream-like liminal collaboration that you don't get from watching theatre or TV.

OP this might sound an odd question but on another thread PPs were talking about aphantasia - being unable to picture something in your mind's eye. Do you have this? If so, reading fiction would be a rather empty and pointless exercise!

I think there are other ways to broaden the mind: travel, mixing with different social groups, volunteering, going to talks... Even watching TV can be helpful.

I don't think reading makes you a superior human being. There are more important things than cleverness and knowledge. Empathy, kindness, cheerfulness, humour, sensitivity to beauty, refined manners, etc, are all just as important. In fact, I prize empathy and kindness above everything.

However, I do think reading great literature changes people. Great novelists in particular broaden and deepen your mind. Writers like Dickens, Jane Austen, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, etc, make you more tolerant and forgiving and humane. They 'humanise' and sensitize you. Of course, you don't have to read Virginia Woolf to be kind and sympathetic. Some of the finest human beings I have ever known have never read a book, let alone Virginia Woolf. But I would say that an average person (not particularly good or bad) who spends a year locked in a cell reading great literature would emerge better for it.

Also, I would make a distinction between cleverness and curiosity. I have known very clever people (i.e people with high IQs) who never read anything and seem totally uninterested in the world. And I have know people with average IQs who have an insatiable hunger to learn.

Personally, I find interested people interesting. And interested people generally read lots of books, not just the Brontes and Shakespeare but books on science and history and philosophy and religion and the natural world.