The general consensus must be that reading actually does make you smarter, but there is actually evidence to back this up.
Reading is associated with increasing the level of intelligence. It makes a lot of sense that reading actually does make people smarter because it is one of the key methods of absorbing information.
Statistics show that a high number of children who learn how to read at an early age go on to become straight A’s students.
Reading also plays a very important role in developing children’s cognitive skills, problem-solving, and the ability to construct complex sentences.
A deeper knowledge of vocabulary and language structure are some of the many ways by which one can become smarter through reading.
Many still do not consider reading as one of the key methods of improving the mind, nonetheless, science has proven that intelligence and reading go hand in hand.
However, reading alone is not the only method through which one’s mind can be improved.
There are many individuals who do not read as much but are consider brilliant or smart.
The reason why some people are smart even without reading much is that they have what is referred to as “fluid intelligence”.
People with this type of intelligence are able to solve problems by understanding patterns or by reading between the lines in a conversation.
It has also been discovered that reading can also increase this type of intelligence.
Now that we have established the fact that reading actually makes you smarter, let’s explore some scientific reasons why reading makes you smarter.
By Increasing Empathy
At one point or the other, readers feel empathy towards characters of fictional books.
This can be attributed to the fact that reading fictional books makes you imagine realities that do not exist.
That way, the reader tends to develop a connection with other people’s feelings and thoughts.
By improving theory of mind
The theory of mind refers to an individuals ability to see the world outside of their selves.
It is generally accepted that a person is more empathetic if they have a great theory of mind.
Studies have shown that empathetic tendencies can be improved by reading fiction.
The scientific study of reading shows that the brain uses the same region in processing reading and expressing empathy.
By Sharpening The Memory
Reading is regarded as one of the methods of boosting memory and keeping the brain active.
The science of this shows that reading activates an area of the brain a called the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning.
A study revealed that hippocampus lit up every time a three-word descriptive phrase such as “a red stripped car” or a “green long snake”.
By Improving Verbal and Vocabulary Skills
Language is ever evolving.
Understanding this makes it easy to relate to various styles of writing.
If you read a 400 year old book, you will quickly discover the stark differences in vocabulary between that era and the present.
You will find many strange words that are no longer in use or have gone “out of fashion”.
The same can be said of the present where new words are constantly being added to our vocabulary.
Reading helps with discovering new and more effective ways of describing a thing or forming an image.
The more a person reads the more linguistic skills they acquire and the more knowledgeable they become.