Books Make you Smarter (1 Viewer)

[FinnMacCool]

I've always loved reading but, only until very recently, I've realized that it doesn't always just tell you a good story, but it makes you smarter. They make me think, which is something that is rare even in the most intelligent movies. So, I am constantly reading. Every night at 9:00, I make tea (dark indian blend; no sugar) and I read for two hours. Every night.

Besides the fact that I find that my vocabulary far advanced to those in my school and a lot of times I end up saying words they do not understand, I've also realized how much of an effect it has on the way I think. Books have a certain reality to it that can prove an effective argument for any means of thinking whether you agree or disagree. And they aren't overly convincing either, this meaning that I can find flaws in their "arguments" and their philosopies etc. Some books I find more truthful, more exaggerated, more flawed etc. I think if everyone read the amount of books I did, they would become smarter also.

This is my steps for reading that can make you more intelligent.
1)Make tea (dark; no sugar preferably without tea bags)
2) find a place where its completely quiet and where you will have little chance of being interupted.
3) Lighting should be as minimal as possible. Just so much as you can see the pages.
4) Read for a long time. If the book is good, you most likely won't want to stop anyways so that shoulndn't be too hard
5) Do this regularily

People wonder why I am so smart at such a young age and I think this is the reason. Reading=knowledge.
I've also been playing a lot less video games and I think that helps also.
Reading has also helped my writing. The more you read, the more you'll write, the better you get.

All I can suggest is that you try it just once for a week and I gurantee it will become a regular pastime for you.

 

[aps]

I've always loved reading but, only until very recently, I've realized that it doesn't always just tell you a good story, but it makes you smarter. They make me think, which is something that is rare even in the most intelligent movies. So, I am constantly reading. Every night at 9:00, I make tea (dark indian blend; no sugar) and I read for two hours. Every night.

Besides the fact that I find that my vocabulary far advanced to those in my school and a lot of times I end up saying words they do not understand, I've also realized how much of an effect it has on the way I think. Books have a certain reality to it that can prove an effective argument for any means of thinking whether you agree or disagree. And they aren't overly convincing either, this meaning that I can find flaws in their "arguments" and their philosopies etc. Some books I find more truthful, more exaggerated, more flawed etc. I think if everyone read the amount of books I did, they would become smarter also.

This is my steps for reading that can make you more intelligent.
1)Make tea (dark; no sugar preferably without tea bags)
2) find a place where its completely quiet and where you will have little chance of being interupted.
3) Lighting should be as minimal as possible. Just so much as you can see the pages.
4) Read for a long time. If the book is good, you most likely won't want to stop anyways so that shoulndn't be too hard
5) Do this regularily

People wonder why I am so smart at such a young age and I think this is the reason. Reading=knowledge.
I've also been playing a lot less video games and I think that helps also.
Reading has also helped my writing. The more you read, the more you'll write, the better you get.

All I can suggest is that you try it just once for a week and I gurantee it will become a regular pastime for you.

Finn, good for you! Have you taken the PSATs? I bet your verbal score will be excellent. Kids who are readers get much higher scores than those who do not. Keep it up. You are absolutely correct that it makes you smarter. I went to Rice University (which is a very good college--check out its rank) and the students there were all excellent readers (Rice has the highest % of National Merit scholars).

 

[mixedmedia]

I've always loved reading but, only until very recently, I've realized that it doesn't always just tell you a good story, but it makes you smarter. They make me think, which is something that is rare even in the most intelligent movies. So, I am constantly reading. Every night at 9:00, I make tea (dark indian blend; no sugar) and I read for two hours. Every night.

Besides the fact that I find that my vocabulary far advanced to those in my school and a lot of times I end up saying words they do not understand, I've also realized how much of an effect it has on the way I think. Books have a certain reality to it that can prove an effective argument for any means of thinking whether you agree or disagree. And they aren't overly convincing either, this meaning that I can find flaws in their "arguments" and their philosopies etc. Some books I find more truthful, more exaggerated, more flawed etc. I think if everyone read the amount of books I did, they would become smarter also.

This is my steps for reading that can make you more intelligent.
1)Make tea (dark; no sugar preferably without tea bags)
2) find a place where its completely quiet and where you will have little chance of being interupted.
3) Lighting should be as minimal as possible. Just so much as you can see the pages.
4) Read for a long time. If the book is good, you most likely won't want to stop anyways so that shoulndn't be too hard
5) Do this regularily

People wonder why I am so smart at such a young age and I think this is the reason. Reading=knowledge.
I've also been playing a lot less video games and I think that helps also.
Reading has also helped my writing. The more you read, the more you'll write, the better you get.

All I can suggest is that you try it just once for a week and I gurantee it will become a regular pastime for you.

I believe you are absolutely right, Finn. I did not finish high school (got my GED), only attended two years of community college, got married at eighteen - but I have always read voraciously from as far back as I can remember. Not to say that I am particularly smart or anything, but I am aware that it has given me a vocabulary that even my co-workers with bachelor's or master's degrees can't match - they come to me to type and/or edit their letters and memos, which I find ironic. Reading has made me hyper-aware of the cadence and beauty of proper English and its use creatively. And it has enabled me to see the world through the eyes of others - largely shaping the way I view it as well.

I can't (and do!) stress the importance of reading enough. It is terribly disheartening to see how many people just don't read at all. I can't imagine a life without books. I love the way they feel, the way they smell - picking up a book for the first time and not knowing where it's going to take me. The excitement of reading an author for the first time who becomes one of my lifelong favorites.

And I have had the joy of passing my love of books onto my daughters who make me so proud every time I look into their rooms and see them laying on the bed reading a book.

I also sell and trade books on the side which has put me in touch with other book lovers around the world. There are still a bunch of us out there! We just have to keep stressing to younger generations the joy and gratification you can get from reading.

And you're right, it's different from the movies - I love film, too, but the medium is not capable of expressing the subtleties of the inner life like literature can.

I could go on and on.....I love books.

 

[Arch Enemy]

But what if I were to admit that I cannot read?

Man, you should write a book... all about making the tea; then at the last chapter of the book introduce the whole reading thingymajigger. I am more interested in the making of this dark tea, withoutd tea bags and sugar, and how you could possibly stay away.

I envy you.

 

[Kelzie]

You should read with more light. That's bad for your eyes.:lol: Other than that I agree. I love reading more than anything else. I can't start a book though if I don't have time to finish it right then. Something of a problem for me...

 

[George_Washington]

You should read with more light. That's bad for your eyes.:lol: Other than that I agree. I love reading more than anything else. I can't start a book though if I don't have time to finish it right then. Something of a problem for me...

I like reading, too, but a lot of times I get distracted by wanting to watch one of my DVDs or play a video game.

 

[FinnMacCool]

I like reading, too, but a lot of times I get distracted by wanting to watch one of my DVDs or play a video game.

I wrote an absurdly long essay on this subject. I used to be the same way. I used to play this mmorpg, which was probably the biggest waste of time. When I could've been writing and reading I was ******* my time away playing a stupid game. It took me a long time to realize how stupid that was. I used to play video games every day for like 4 ****ing hours. Now I only play like once a week and only for an hour or less. I've felt much better now that I'm writing and actually doing something with myself. I'm not saying video games are bad but I think they should be treated like candy. They taste good but they should be used sparingly. Video games are a nice way to kill a few hours when your bored but when you start becoming seriously involved in it so much that it consumes your like, its really bad.

 

[FinnMacCool]

You should read with more light. That's bad for your eyes.

Well maybe. . .The reason I read with such little light is because I like the atmosphere. Its very soothing somehow. I don't like a whole lot of light. I find it distracting.

Other than that I agree. I love reading more than anything else. I can't start a book though if I don't have time to finish it right then. Something of a problem for me...

For some reason its the hardest thing to do to pick up a book and read. In todays society, we are moving so fast that we barely have time to look at real beauty, let alone sit down and read a book. It takes discipline but if you read, say, a chapter a day before you go to sleep, it can be very helpful. Its actually better then watching tv before bed. Watching TV before bed actually keeps you up but reading books helps you relax and lets you go to sleep. So just keep with it.

 

[FinnMacCool]

I'll try, but I won't like it.
Do you read fiction or nonfiction?

Both. I'll read pretty much anything.

I even read a bit of Mein Kamph on the internet, which was actually a very interesting look into the mind of a authoritarian. Its better then reading an expert on Adolf Hitler. Reading a book by the real guy is far more educational

I don't really understand how people could not like books. I think its something that has to be instilled into you when your young, My parents actually took the time to take me to the library and read to me so I think thats why it happened. I think you just have to keep with it. Some books are easier to read then others.

I actually think the Harry Potter books are a great place to start for non readers. The Harry Potter books are probably going to end up being classics. They are both extremely readable yet surpirsingly deep. If all your doing is reading the watered down Warner Brothers version, then your not doing yourself justice.

 

[FinnMacCool]

But what if I were to admit that I cannot read?

Man, you should write a book... all about making the tea; then at the last chapter of the book introduce the whole reading thingymajigger. I am more interested in the making of this dark tea, withoutd tea bags and sugar, and how you could possibly stay away.

I envy you.

I was actually thinking about that. I love tea. I believe books and tea have to be the greatest of mans inventions and, when combined, they are wonderful. As Orwell said a good cup of tea can make you"feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it"

Actually, here is a nice essay about the "proper" way to drink tea from Uncle George http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/work/essays/cupoftea.html

 

[FinnMacCool]

And you're right, it's different from the movies - I love film, too, but the medium is not capable of expressing the subtleties of the inner life like literature can.

Movies are an entirely different animal. They are no better nor any worse then books when it comes to an artform. I happen to prefer books but movies have the capability to be expressive in a totally different way. Most movies though are just something that can be used to waste time. I've actually become quite the critic of movies. My family thinks that I'm a killjoy but I think they are just misguided.

 

[mixedmedia]

Movies are an entirely different animal. They are no better nor any worse then books when it comes to an artform. I happen to prefer books but movies have the capability to be expressive in a totally different way. Most movies though are just something that can be used to waste time. I've actually become quite the critic of movies. My family thinks that I'm a killjoy but I think they are just misguided.

Just like with music, truly great films are getting harder to come by. But they're still being made. But it is an art of the senses more than the mind. I prefer books, too.

 

[FinnMacCool]

Finn, good for you! Have you taken the PSATs? I bet your verbal score will be excellent. Kids who are readers get much higher scores than those who do not. Keep it up. You are absolutely correct that it makes you smarter. I went to Rice University (which is a very good college--check out its rank) and the students there were all excellent readers (Rice has the highest % of National Merit scholars).

No I have not taken the PSATs.

I don't envision myself going to anything more then a community college too be honest. I'm going to take the SATs so I can keep my options open, but I strongly believe my calling lies outside the realm of academic professions.

 

[Kelzie]

Movies are an entirely different animal. They are no better nor any worse then books when it comes to an artform. I happen to prefer books but movies have the capability to be expressive in a totally different way. Most movies though are just something that can be used to waste time. I've actually become quite the critic of movies. My family thinks that I'm a killjoy but I think they are just misguided.

Bah. Movies suck monkey toes. In movies you watch the action. In books, you are the action.

 

[FinnMacCool]

Bah. Movies suck monkey toes. In movies you watch the action. In books, you are the action.

That is both completely true yet not so true. Watch 2001: A Space Odyssey and you'll experience things that are quite impossible in books.

 

[Kelzie]

That is both completely true yet not so true. Watch 2001: A Space Odyssey and you'll experience things that are quite impossible in books.

Seen it. Not such a big fan. Nothing is impossible in books.