Does Reading Actually Make You Smarter?

On the face of it, one could easily say that it does, which makes it rather sad that people are now reading less and less. It certainly makes you more aware and knowledgeable than the person who doesn’t read! However, reading makes you smarter only if you absorb what you read and then utilise it.

There is an old saying that “Knowledge is Power”, but it really isn’t. The real power comes from applied knowledge! The contradiction of reading is that you can read as much as you like, and be as knowledgeable as ever, but if you never put that knowledge to any use, if your life and skills are not really enhanced by it, you would be no more smarter or capable, despite what you might know.

Again, our chosen books tell a lot about us, often revealing far more about our passions in life than we might openly admit. For example, if you are not reading anything it says volumes about your own desire to self-educate, to learn, and to raise your development standards. Reading books is a sign of being alive, of being imaginative, intelligent and being curious. Thus an absence of books would say more about you in a social gathering than whatever you actually say.

Personally, because of my work and research, for years I’ve tended to read self-help motivational books to increase my professional knowledge, which did not leave me with much time to catch up on fiction. Then almost three years ago my partner and I started a reading challenge to see how many fiction books we could read in a year. Since we started, I have personally read at least 150 books, including 58 of the 60 Booker Prizewinners so far, not to mention huge classics like War And Peace, Don Quixote, Ulysses (that was a challenge!) and Great Expectations! He, too, has read far more than he did before, and has increased his speed significantly.

The benefits to us both have been enormous. We also love pub quizzes, so all the knowledge we are accumulating from these books has come in handy for tricky questions. We are enjoying learning so much, the expanding knowledge has also spread to national flags. In fact, in the past three months we have learnt every national flag of the 200 countries available! Yet before that we hardly knew more than 20 flags.

It seems the vast amount of reading we are doing is opening our minds to absorbing other things, too, much easier than before, and every day is demonstrating the powerful value of reading and learning, despite our ages. I have seldom felt so empowered.

Main Benefits of Reading

That is why I would highly recommend regular reading. Even if you do not become any smarter, reading is more likely to do the following for you:

1. Improves and widens your vocabulary. You will learn far more words, and gain greater expressive fluency, through the information relating to places, things, people and ideas. Reading regularly - whether fiction or non-fiction - will also improve the choices you have in expressing yourself to whatever audience is necessary. It is also likely to give you greater confidence in interacting with others.

2. Widens your experience of your world. Books are very informative, and offer opportunities to escape to unknown places, sharing unknown cultures, and experiencing new sensations. The imagination can work very powerfully with a good book. You are likely to get attached to the characters, and even feel sad to leave them when the story is over.

3. Helps you to appreciate other viewpoints. Reading exposes us to a wider variety of ideas and contexts, expanding our world and making it more accommodating. For example, I am currently reading Schindler’s Listabout the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis during World War II, and I often have to stop and remind myself that this is not fiction because of the impact of the calm, yet chilling, style in which it is written.

4. Gives you something to share with others. Reading gives us shared experiences with which we can build friendships, develop interests and have common points of conversation and discussions. It is so enjoyable to discuss a book I’ve read with someone else who has read it, too, especially to see the different personal reactions to the same book.

5. Increases your chances of success. President Truman once said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” In his opinion reading was essential to leadership and achievement, especially relating to personal goals, vision and purpose. It seems the more you read, the more your knowledge will grow, the more you will be exposed to similar and alternate views, and the more you will identify allies and rivals, opportunities and possibilities. Furthermore, as you read, the more confident you will feel in achieving your aims through increased knowledge and skills of how to bring them to life.

In summary, one could say that reading is a powerful tool that affects our lives in two key ways:

1. It equips us with the tools of intelligence, not just the answers, being one of the most effective ways to boost our vocabulary, improve focus, and develop the superior analytical skills needed for critical thinking. Reading literature also dramatically increases our empathy and emotional intelligence, giving us a deeper, richer understanding of our world and the people in it.

2. It improves our brain’s processing power and capacity. Every time we read, we are engaging in mental simulation - whether tracking a complex plot, or following a difficult argument. This practice increases our cognitive reserve, sharpens our memory, and, improves our intelligence and the ability to solve new problems by exposing us to diverse structures of thought and logic.”

It is important to bear in mind that, though books can make you smarter, there is no guarantee of that. It all depends on how you utilise what you read. However, one thing is certain: without constant reading you cannot build your vocabulary, you are dependent upon old and outdated knowledge to guide you, and you will be limited in your thoughts and intellect. In essence, not reading very much turns us into fossils being left behind by the rushing tide of time, events, new expressions, and new innovations.