Marie Ann Macapil

Does Reading Fiction Affect Intelligence? Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures. We may think that reading non-fiction rather than fiction books makes 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 and is based 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 majority of our learning materials. However, research shows that reading fiction 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 in what we are reading. 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 one’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 on a regular basis. The study is focused on exploring the role of fiction in literacy experience and learning. Three methods were employed to collect necessary data in this study. First, the Fountas and Pinnell Reading Interview was conducted at the beginning and are designed to identify feelings, interests, and motivations regarding reading. Next, the Benchmark Assessment System was used to inform understanding of Sam’s literacy achievement. It was administered in the form of a running record, coupled with comprehension checks and prompts. Lastly, anecdotal notes were conducted every meeting for record purposes only. 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 us sequence plot, identify main ideas, and provide 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: fiction can be used to teach lessons and morals, fiction is read for pleasure, and fiction is used to aid story sequencing and comprehension. 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 literatures 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 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 can also make us feel encounters or experiences on what we read as our own. It is like living on 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 intricate characters also prompts the brain to write them in order to interpret and remember it well. It is as if our brain is physically moving a pen over the lines of the symbol. Reading, especially poetry, also boosts our memory the same way music does. It links to the right half of the brain, which regulates emotion. It makes us prone to be sent into a self-reflective, memory-boosting state, particularly when reading well-known poems we love. Poetry also lights up the areas of the brain that concern memory and switch on when we're relaxing. We call it the poetry trance. 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.