Does Reading Really Stimulate Intelligence (Part 1)

Often times when faced with the trade off of watching the message rather than reading the message the likely winner is usually watching it.  Many will argue that watching a movie that was based on a novel simply has a more impressionable impact than the ink on the page.  Well, what is the difference?  When we read a book we tend to embed a sense of imagination of the visual to the words we are reading.  The question could be addressed of whether the psychological visual annotated from our imagination is simply not as comprehensible as that of a movie or YouTube video.  In either case the burning question is why reading tends to take the back of the bus in comparison to videos.  In reality 50% of American adults are unable to read at an 8th grade level.  Reading, just like any other skill requires practice.  The only way to improve your reading level is obviously conterminous reading.

How does reading equate to intelligence?  The easiest way to attempt to make the correlation is to use the comparison of a computer.  The computer uses more resources (memory, storage space, and power) when it is tasked to perform a job that is increasingly complex.  The computer tends to take low level data (binary 1’s and 0’s) and convert it to the visual application we see on the screen.  The rate at how fast this is done drives the resources needed for a computer to operate properly.  When we consider reading there is a similar process.  As your eye passes over words from left to right, it is being implemented at rate that is independent from the rate of recall associated to understanding what words mean.  Under normal circumstances the brain will attempt to recall information at a faster rate if you are actually reading.  Although there are half a million words in the English language alone, statistics state that 1/3 of our writing is based on 22 words.  One could make the assumption that our low vocabulary rate is linked to the low amount of reading.

Reading is a key element of our lives.  It is suggested that most individuals should spend a minimum of 20 minutes per day reading.  Everyone should be as enthusiastic about getting their brain in shape as they are their figure.  Technology has landed one of the most significant advances to reading with the launch of the Electronic Readers (e-Readers).  In the past it simply wasn’t cool to carry a lot of books around.  Over the past few years we have seen the cost of e-Readers fall from as much as $400 to as low as $89.  The e-Readers use of the formatted text called electronic book (e-book) has taken form not only as a supplement to a portable device, but also available for computer viewing.  The e-book can be read on the computer as well as the portable hand held device with applications such as Digital Editions.  Given the technological advances we have seen in the portable e-Reader market, there is no comprehensive reason why reading should not be a normal part of our daily lives.

In part 2 of this reading series we will outline the proven evidence that correlate improved aptitude to basic reading.  For the conclusion of this reading series make sure you register for new blog post by visiting our web site and joining the “sign me up” reading list.

This blog was published under the MBASmart Publishing professional development reading series.  For more information about this topic or topics like this connect with the author on Facebook.