In countries where education is available to most people, we find that there is a strong correlation between intelligence and education. A large portion of those at the top of the intelligence spectrum pursue higher education, while few of those at the other end of the spectrum complete high school. Data collected by the College Board shows the average IQ of people enrolled in various college majors. (See: What is the average IQ of students by their chosen degree? I just found an old statistic. – Intelligence and IQ ) Since the average IQ of people in post secondary school is 120 (more than one standard deviation above the average of 100) it is clear that intelligence and level of educational attainment are strongly correlated. Since higher education requires an almost total immersion in reading, the correlation between reading and intelligence is also strong. However, correlation and causation are different. While reading books is strongly correlated to intelligence, it is not necessarily true that reading increases intelligence.
Reading, in itself, is a cognitive activity that involves the interpretation of script and its translation into concepts. So there is an inherent stimulation of the brain during the process of reading. Some recent research suggests that there is more mental activity involved in reading, than in the more passive observation of a television screen, because the absence of visual information when reading, requires a person to imagine the people and places from their description. This requires more mental effort and therefore, more brain stimulation. So, it would seem that there is some likelihood that extensive reading, especially in the formative years, when the brain is involved in prodigious neuron growth, that reading provides a mental stimulus that enhances the skills measured as IQ.
Of course there is a significant difference between reading a book on quantum physics and reading a formula-written romance novel. The content of a book determines the degree of mental stimulation. A book with heavy mathematical formulas, graphs and complex ideas, is obviously a strong mental stimulus, while a romance novel or a celebrity magazine will not be cognitively demanding.
Great fiction can be extremely beneficial in increasing a person’s knowledge and hence, what is called their “crystallized intelligence.” The classical authors like Shakespeare, Shaw and Tolstoy teach us a great deal about human nature. Authors of historical novels can provide us with deep insights into present and past cultures, giving us a glimpse of how people lived in earlier times and in different cultural environments with diverse moral codes. Science fiction can stimulate us to think about issues like artificial intelligence and its implications. Dystopic novels like Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World, provide insights into forms of government that could threaten human sovereignty. In short, reading of any kind is beneficial to cognitive growth, although the degree of mental stimulation will vary significantly with the content.
However, if fiction is read to the exclusion of non-fiction, the reader is unable to learn the many things that come from reading non-fiction. Today, knowledge is growing at an exponential rate, unprecedented in any previous era, and the need for reading non-fiction is greater than ever. Information in investments, economics, science and health is displayed in graphs, equations and statistics that must be interpreted and analyzed. So the short answer to the question is: read as much as you can and attempt to expand your reading across as many domains as possible for maximum brain stimulation. In this process, you will expand your crystallized intelligence and enhance your enjoyment of the beautiful complexity of the world in which we live.
