Does Reading Fiction Affect Intelligence?
Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures.
We may think that reading non-fiction rather than fiction books make us more intelligent. It is because non-fiction books present factual and actual information rather than fiction which is not based on facts or true events but rather on an imaginary setting. As we grow older, we are slowly being weaned off of fiction books.
Our school alone requires us more nonfictional reading since it comprises the majority of our learning materials. However, research shows fictional reading actually makes us smarter. Aside from improving our vocabulary and language skills, it also helps us stay sharp. Reading fiction also boosts emotional intelligence as we learn to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and empathize with the characters of the story.
The Case of Sam: Reading Fiction and its Impact on Intelligence
A case study conducted by Gregory Cost documented the impact of reading fiction on a person’s intelligence. The participant was a 10-year old boy who is an avid reader of fiction, at the elementary level and is immersed in the Common Core curriculum. He loves beach reading fiction books on a regular basis. The study is focused on exploring the role of fiction on a person’s intelligence.
Three methods were employed in order to collect necessary data in this study. The first one was conducted to assess the reader’s motivation, interest, and feelings towards reading. Another one was conducted to assess the reader’s achievement in terms of his literary skills. The last one consisted of note-taking at the last part of the meeting which was used for record purposes only. Those methods provided the essential information which helped reach the goals of the said research.
As a result of the study, the impact of reading fiction to one’s literacy experience is that it aids in text comprehension and it is also engaging. Reading fiction aids a person in text comprehension as it helps in sequencing plot, identifying main ideas, and providing empathetic solutions to textual problems. It is also engaging since fictional reading can be done for pleasure purposes as it serves as a way to escape and have some time alone.
It was also discovered that reading fiction had influenced the child in three particular ways: it can help teach morals and lessons, it can be done for enjoyment, and it helps the readers sequence the story and comprehend it.
Based on the study, it could be implied that it would be better if fictional reading is coupled with the curriculum since it can help students in their literacy experiences as well as their intelligence.
Another research shows that popular fiction depicts extraordinary circumstances and takes readers on a mix of emotions and exciting experiences. Despite the fact that settings and circumstances are unbelievably unique, there is a consistency and predictability in characters which affirms the reader’s expectations of others. It implies that popular fiction does not expand a reader’s empathy.
In contrast with popular fiction, literary fiction is focused on the psychology of characters and their connection to each other. These characters thoughts are portrayed ambiguously and we are compelled to fill in the gaps to comprehend their expectations and inspirations. Although literary fiction has a tendency to be more rational than popular fiction, the characters interrupt a reader’s expectations and stereotypes which teach us the significance of understanding those individuals who are different from us.
Non-fiction Literature and Its Influence on Intelligence
Reading works of fiction influences intelligence in different ways but does it mean that reading non-fiction has a negative impact on our intelligence?
A study was conducted to compare how reading fiction and non-fiction literature affect a person’s overall intelligence. Participants were distributed across two subscales. One is for an assessment of exposure to narrative fiction. Participants were also distributed into five genres. Another is for the measure of exposure to non-narrative expository nonfiction which is also divided into five genres. Results show that exposure to non-fiction literature was negatively related to self-perceived belongingness. Non-fiction was also related to self-reported loneliness in contrast to those exposed to fiction.
Another study showed that nonfiction literature does not improve a person’s ability to understand other’s mental states. Reading fictional literature led to better ability on both emotional and cognitive function compared with those who read non-fiction works. Those who read nonfiction had low scores on empathy compared to those who read fiction which implies that exposure to fictional works have a great influence on our emotional intelligence and help us understand other’s thoughts and feelings.
Summing It Up
In general, reading greatly affects our brain. May it be fiction or non-fiction, as long as we spend time for reading we can experience the fascinating effects and benefits of it. Reading makes our brain grow. Since it improves our vocabulary, it makes our brain grow as more connections are made.
Reading is an alternative exercise for our brain. Regardless of what we read, parts of our brain that have developed for different capacities associate in a particular neural circuit for reading, which is extremely amazing.
Reading can also make us feel encounters or experiences on what we read as our own. It is like living in someone else’s shoes.
Reading can also be an effective stress reliever due to escapism. When we are focused on a book, we are less focused on our tense muscles and we relax.
We also genuinely feel the metaphors that we read. Reading fiction has always been good in broadening one’s outlook and it also makes us more empathetic.
Reading poetry also helps boost our memory just like music. It makes us more inclined to be sent into an introspective state especially when we purely understand the poems that we like. Poetry also helps us relax and unwind while we boost our memory.
Due to a lot of general positive effects of reading to us, we should realize how necessary it is to be a regular part of our daily life. Don’t be a book snob. Relax and grab a book and drift away to places you can only read about.
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