5 Types of Books that Increase Intelligence

Hey John, Thanks for the great article. Your thoughts on reading are so true.

I love the quote by Charlie Jones: ”

You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.”

I think every book changes us a bit and adds to our life experience. I have recently become a voracious reader. Mostly non-fiction, but I do need to expand my reading to include some of the genres listed in your article.

Thanks for the great tips!

But time spent reading books that cultivate intelligence and wisdom is a labor that yields continuous benefit over a lifetime.

Reading books mostly cultivates your knowledge, not your intelligence. Sure some writing can make you think – but applying your knowledge and your intelligence to solve problems is the best way to fire up your neurons.

@Kim – Thanks, that’s a great quote and very true.

@orangeguru – You make a good point. Perhaps a better title would have been “Books that Increase Wisdom”. Problem solving is the most important part, as you said. The article agrees with that.

“Reading all the books in the world won’t make you any smarter unless you think about what you read and apply it to your own existence.”

I give aptitude tests, including intelligence, for a living. I can quickly tell who reads and who doesn’t. The amount of education does not matter as much as whether or not they read every day.

Wamylove,

That doesn’t surprise me at all. I think being a reader helped me a lot on my SATS. How else are you supposed to get those analogies?

[...] The 5 Types of Books that Increase Intelligence by John WesleyMany people just read books in the fields they are familiar with. You should enrich yourself by reading other types of books. This article gives you five types of them. [...]

Hi
You used the term whore for old the old stuff. That would mean that the old stuff would have to pay you, but actually what you meant that you were a big fan.

Hi John, I appreciate your view on types of books to read. I wanted to add another perspective. Wisdom is available to anyone who seeks awareness and their are many personal journey books that expand our knowing and insight. I just discovered your site and am excited to find others helping people to wake up to their potential. Joseph at http://www.explorelifeblog.com

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You forgot at least one other category that should be on there – instructional book. If you read “how to play chess” and it leads to a life long love of the game, I’d certainly say you life was enriched!

You make a good point. There are actually a bunch of other categories I considered, but for the sake of brevity I chose to limit it to 5. I think instructional books could be counted as a subset of the science category.

Could books decrease intelligence as well as increase it? You would assume that only trashy books would do so, but that can’t be proven.

A good book is good regardless of its intended audience (sorry for the dichotomy, good=good; I use the word good in two different ways). A good romance will make you feel alive.

I think even trashy books have value if you enjoy them. They’re probably more engaging than television.

John,

You can increase knowledge by reading books but you can’t increase intelligence, unless you mean figuratively. Intelligence is to a large extent fixed.

Bob

Bob,

It all depends on how you define intelligence.

Although our raw cognitive abilities are largely fixed, I think a lot more goes into intelligence. If gaining knowledge can increase you technical skill or your ability to make good decisions, wouldn’t that knowledge make you more intelligent?

Increasing knowledge leads to increased intelligence (or increased wisdom), even if it doesn’t lead to higher IQ.

Intelligence isn’t fixed. Neural nets in our brain are always changing based on synaptic flexibility, this has an impact on intelligence (the ability to solve problems)

John,

I would be interested in knowing the other categories you considered. Perhaps if the list is too long for posting at this location, you could send me some information via email.

Olympia,

I’m not sure I remember them all because I think a lot were obvious subsets of other categories. Puzzle or Brainteaser books, art and design books. photography books, music, instructional books, etc.

Some of these I excluded because they aren’t really books focused on text i.e. art or photography books with a lot of pictures.

I’m sure there are several types of books I couldn’t think of or neglected to mention, so I’d love to see some more suggestions if anyone wants to post them.

Great tips! It’s best to read all genres of writing…that’s the best way to make the most of the reading experience. I find a lot of my favorite books here on this portal.

[...] 1. The 5 Types of Books that Increase Intelligence [...]

The Carnival of Deliberate Creation #4: 4/19/07…

Welcome to the fourth edition of the Carnival of Deliberate Creation. This carnival is all about providing resources for those interested in the Law of Attraction. This week we have an excellent (and extensive!) collection of articles and posts present…

Intelligence is probably not fixed. IQ seems to be a well-backed/popular theory at the moment but I think it will be discarded in the future. The seeming “common sense” image, I’d term almost magical, that sees intelligence as completely innated, is most likely flawed and it needs to be replaced with an image of something that people earn.

I believe that the overwhelming majority of human being are made up of the same “hardware”. Our brains, with the exception of a select few who have defects, are the same. It’s what we have learned, or the “software” that counts.

Highly intelligence correlates with better quality input. If the majority of us get bad input…”garbage in, garbage out”.

If you want to do something better, score higher on a test, whether it’s IQ, SAT or whatever…study! If you practice a skill/take a test/do research about a subject, review your work, do it again, repeat, metathink your progress will increase, as will your understanding. That’s how intelligence works regardless of the subject matter.

Bob,
Terman showed that over a lifetime IQ increases a lot–as much as a full standard deviation. And as you learn new neural connections are made, and even some new neurons grow.

But, studying for the IQ test, is –in a very real sense–cheating. The idea is supposed to be to see how well you do with new puzzles. Of course, since others study and the test questions are not secrets—the tests are pretty worthless now.
Penny

SAT measures your social class–to a large extent. It measures whether your parents can afford to send you to SAT prep classes–where they have done statistical analysis and psychological analysis of the exam questions etc. It measures whether you have gone to an elite prep school where they teach to the test. In the old days, when the SAT questions were not published each year, the KAPLAN PREP would have some of their students bring back three questions each from each exam–and compiled a bank of SAT questions. Basicaly–cheating within the rules.

I did extremely well on both SAT and IQ tests as a child–because I read a great deal, and because I loved to solve puzzles ( Hey, that is what math kids do!). But, it meant less because kids who could afford the prep classes did just as well.

If you want to increase your intelligence–never mind studying—work hard puzzles, play chess and GO seriously, and work though theorems and proofs in math books.
Intelligence is not just about learning—it is about SOLVING PUZZLES–and, it does improve ( some) with practice.
Penny

Penny,

Just one thing, intelligence is not just about learning (I agree) — it is about SOLVING PROBLEMS. Puzzles are just one kind of problems.

Problem is a much broader concept that relates closely to the creation process. Creativity is the KEY to intelligence.

And as I said earlier, intelligence changes through our entire life. It depends on each one of us if it grows or diminish. It’s like a muscle that should be trained.

Alejandro

As an online texts junkie, I couldn’t resist putting my two cents in.

Speaking of great books, here’s a list of philosophical works that ought to be a worthwhile challenge for any ambitions reader: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atlantis/4360/text/list.txt

Another, similar, list, though with slightly less of an emphasis on classical thought, may be found here, handily hyperlinked to online texts for your ready perusal: http://books.mirror.org/gb.home.html

Happy reading!

Thanks for the links T. I’m a big fan of reading the classics online myself, so new resources are always appreciated.

Several comments.

Art and photography books were mentioned. I’d like to add comic books. It engages kids and they work their way up to short chapter books then keep on devouring novels from the library. I think a love of reading is the first step to reading anything and everything.

As for a source of reading, the local library is great. You can pick up books on any topic. If it turns out to be something you really don’t find interesting, return them tomorrow, otherwise dig in and learn about something new. Same goes for trying out authors and genre of fiction you haven’t tried yet.

As for poetry, add song lyrics as a subcategory. Some of the songwriters out there express themselves really well. When you listen to the lyrics, it is poetry. The music adds a nice touch too

“But at it’s best, history is fascinating anecdotes…”

If you’re writing an article suggesting methods to increase intelligence, it may behoove you to mind your grammar. (The word “it’s” may never be used as you’ve used it).

Thanks for the list. I think that well researched and factual based, self development books are above all these. They incorporate science, history, philosophy, raise awareness and are usually relevant in today’s fast changing world.

Best

Terry

[...] are the 5 types of books that increase [...]

[...] The 5 Types of Books that Increase Intelligence In ancient times, science and philosophy grew from the seed of analytical thought. If science teaches us to understand the outside world, philosophy teaches us to understand ourselves. It could very well be called the science of human life. (tags: reading) [...]

Neat John…

It’s the hip/bestselling novels that fill up your brain with junk.
I have to force myself to read non-fiction more often.

It’s true that a lot of bestselling novels are just trash, but it’s a bad habit to place limits to your brain. Science fiction (not all) could be very stimulating. I recommend reading Isaac Asimov, just great!

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thank you,
what a great article.

yes, it’s hard to find the books that suit with our needs.

Michael> Spelling and grammar errors are often a memory issue, not a matter of intellect.
For example, just now I had to look up the spelling of “grammar” b/c I couldn’t remember how to spell it. I have to look it up every single time I write it. And I consider myself to be an intelligent, well-read person. I just have a crappy memory.

[...] The 5 Types of Books that Increase Intelligence [...]

I’d have to add, to Serious Fiction, Good/Serious Science Fiction. Nothing has made me question my ideas more than Phillip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert and so many others. They explore possiblities that are not available to “Serious Fiction” and do so without being preachy or obstuse.

EJ,

I totally agree. Serious fiction includes good science fiction in my opinion, though certain literary circles might scoff at it.

On why poetry is so powerful, I might suggest Martin Heidegger’s “Poetry, Language, Thought” where he essentially says that the reason why fiction is so powerful is for its poetic moments in which the real relations by which we experience life are recreated through metaphor… well, more or less. -M

Enjoyed the article. Reading is one of these top core activities we can take to keep our brain flexible. Reading books about the brain itself can also be a major advantage. The more we know, the better we can manipulate our brain to function at optimal levels.
If you’re interested, I own a site about brain plasticity and improvement called http://www.brain-guide.org
There are many other informative sites concerning brain improvement, pickthebrain.com is definetelly one of my favorites…)

[...] later beads, but still, they were beads. So even in caveman times, men and women were interested in improving their clothing and appearance with the use of [...]

[...] was pleased to see on a self-development website that my favorite types of books can actually help increase my intelligence, no matter that I sometimes feel quite dumb while reading [...]

you’re right reading books will increase intelligence thank you Mr.wisley for these usefull tips

how could we write abook?that’s many people’s question and the answer is surely to read books about the subject and you’ll soon know how such a great writer you are.

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Really your post is a no brainer. Most of us read those type of books throughout school. It would have been more helpful if you listed a couple books from each type instead of stating the obvious.

Intelligence is is basically solving problems. Reading bascially introduces us to new or old solutions to new or old problems.

I agree wholeheartly analytical thought can also be stimulated by the thought provoking stories published in Playboy, Penthouse, and Hustler.

Thank you for this great article. I would also add self help books to increase productivity, improve communications and find inspiration.

this is so grear artical

[...] coined, when it was found that the cortical of the brain had the ability to control the billions of neurons within the cerebrum to fire in tandem an electromagnetic frequency capable of achieving superior [...]

as a 19 year old male in modern age society, reading takes a great deal of effort. i found your site randomly surfing the web on my cellphone at 4 in the morning, and im glad i did. i even enjoyed reading the comments. i have no say on this topic however, cause in all honesty I don’t (like to)read. hopefully with a little motivation i can pick up a book or two at the local library. i’ve always been fascinated by philosophy and recently i got this random book in the mail called Pro Evo – guideline for an age of joy, and as interesting as the first few chapters were i completely gave up on it, do you have any tips on how i can stay concentrated on reading?
ps: i have no idea idea who sent the book or why, has anybody had similar experiences??

yeah

true

Erin! You have good ideas, I enjoyed your article!
after longer search i’ve found 2 great articles how to improve your iq in just a few seconds, i thought it would be interesting (or just a constructive comment)

http://www.wordofmouthexperiment.com/articles/iq-tests-brain-fitness/increase-your-iq-act-now

http://the-secrets.eu/blog/?p=13

martin s.

A note to the lad who says reading takes a great deal of effort. You should just go for the books in a subject that interests you – if you aren’t interested, of course it will seem an effort. if it’s a subject you are fascinated by, it won’t be an effort at all.

fluentfuture is a social networking language exchange. You can learn a language for free meeting members who speak other languages and teaching each other. Or you can pay rated teachers for individual lessons.

http://www.fluentfuture.com is a social networking language exchange. You can learn a language for free meeting members who speak other languages and teaching each other. Or you can pay rated teachers for individual lessons.

This article helped on my essay about Virginia Woolf’s, “How should one read a book?”… My thesis was related to “what should we read?” and this article definitely helped develop my argument: We should read books that helps to develop intellect!
Thank You!
I would like to know who is the author and his official title so I my reference can be more specific. (and give you credit)

Great article, You can find all of these types of books at eCampus.com. You will probably even be able to rent some of these books or get some of them as eBooks. check them out at http://www.eCampus.com

My thesis was related to “what should we read?” and this article definitely helped develop my argument: We should read books that helps to develop intellect!
Thank You!http://kinotema.org.ua

Hello John,

Thanks a lot for the tips you have provided. Moreover, I have a query: Is it possible to increase Intelligence Quotient(IQ) knowing the fact that IQ is an innate property? If yes then what are procedures in order to increase your IQ?

Thanking you again.Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks a lot for the tips you have provided

u cant spell

Great article and good tips!
I’m gonna try every type and increase my intelligence

Please check this link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyXrCem6-Cc !

Thanks!

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thank you! i think its quite helpful…

Great article. I loved how you pointed out your ideas.

Just browsing and located your website – thanks for the share.

This article is very weighty and worthy. Thanks to the writer. I will need your email address Plz

yes, I get the point here since I am a reader myself and it really helps me to learn a
lot of things.

- Jack Leak
Customized Fat Loss Review

Mathematik!!!!!!!!!

Mathematik!!!!!!!!!

good article…but there are a few observations that I would like to make. How can reading increase general intelligence? sure it helps with improving your language skills, knowledge and wisdom. But these are very subject and profession specific. Let me illustrate with the help of an example. If I wish to become an equity research analyst, reading books on equity research wont help me at all(at least that’s what my peers tell me). If subject specific books cant help me then, how can books which are not at all related to my future profession help me.

hi wamylove…could you give me some tips for improving my aptitude for logical reasoning?

 not all whores get paid )

I (Heather Heaton) am recommending my new ebook (“Her Letters from Prison”) as a motivational resource for reading pleasure, review, contemplation, and comment.  My ebook will validate your inquisitive doubts about what goes on in women’s prisons; it can justify the efforts spent toward ministries to women’s prisons; and it can be an inspirational (tell-it-like-it-is) resource for drug rehab/prevention programs.  The book is non-fiction prison romance (It is what it is!); and the original letters are included as images for authenticity.  You can go to http://www.heather-heaton.com and purchase “Her Letters from Prison”, Parts 1 and 2.
 
If you don’t happen to own a Kindle, Nook, or some other eReader device, then download the FREE Adobe Digital Editions software to your computer to read the “epub” version of my ebook as purchased from Smashwords.  Multiple versions of my ebook are available on Smashwords.
 
I am a 34 year old college student trying to better my life, in spite of the baggage I carry from my previous life.  To date, I have been quite successful in accomplishing this goal; and I will use the proceeds from the book to help support myself.  My picture is posted, with my book descriptions, at Smashwords.  I can be contacted using email at heatherheaton@rocketmail.com.
 
My recently published ebook is entitled (“Her Letters from Prison:  Part 1 & Part 2″, by Heather Heaton).  The ebook was published at Smashwords (www.smashwords.com).  A brief description of the ebook follows:
1.      Breanna tells the true story of her experiences in prison through her letters to her friend Heath.  This is a story of survival and a quest to make a better life.  The letters describe the daily shocking events of prison life involving drugs, sex, utter devastation and humiliation, anger, hopelessness, despair, and finally happiness and hope.
 
2.      Breanna’s “truth” stands still even as the world around her trembles and burns!  Bad things do happen to good people; and Breanna is the perfect example of this truth.
 
3.      Breanna’s inner strengths and principles eventually win out over the corruption and evil that surrounds her.  With God’s help, Breanna survives the horrible experiences of prison life and regains her self-confidence and hope for a better life.
 
4.      “Breanna” was an inmate at Tutwiler Women’s Prison from 2007 to 2009.
 
5.      “Breanna” benefitted from women’s prison ministries and the LIFE Tech-Wetumpka state-funded self-help program.
 
The Introduction page of the ebook follows:
 
Introduction:
The story you are about to read is true.  Unfortunately, it’s my story; and the truth is often much more intriguing than fiction.  I have had to deal with this story (this situation) for more than the past ten years.  I started living out this story with all the hopes and dreams of most (if not all) young American girls; and I will finish this story by realizing most of those hopes and dreams, even though they have been interrupted for a time (in prison) that seems like time and time again.  Through it all, I have managed to learn some life lessons that I hope to give to you; and I am hoping that you can pick up on these lessons earlier in life than I have done.  I should have learned these lessons long ago.  If I had learned these lessons long ago, I assure you that I would not have written the material you are now reading.  My hope is that nobody else has to endure what I have endured learning life lessons that should be given to youngsters and adolescents early in life by the ones who truly love them.  But here again, there are probably other youngsters and adolescents, much like me, who will have to learn these life lessons painfully for themselves, the hard way – by experiencing them first hand.  Well, if you continue to read my story, here’s what you will experience – drugs, sex, violence, prison, utter devastation/humiliation, anger, hopelessness, despair, and finally happiness and hope!
 
If you don’t take me seriously and you follow in my path, you are going to experience false hope and disillusionment!  You are going to experience broken trusts, by those whom you trusted most!  You are going to experience pain and agony that brings you to the brink of self-destruction!  You will lose your freedom!  You will lose the right to think for yourself and to make your own decisions!  You will lose your sense of self-worth and self-dignity!  You are going to lose your ability to support yourself!  You are going to lose your self-confidence!  You are going to be victimized; and you can do little to avoid this!  You will struggle and struggle and struggle just to get yourself back onto an even keel!  But if you can ever manage to muster a tremendous mountain of stubbornness and determination, and if you can begin to think better of yourself, you will be able to recover most, but not all, of your ability to manage your own affairs while regaining some of your self-confidence and feeling of self-worth.  I am just about to accomplish this in my life!  Being just about able to accomplish this in my life is what has led me to (it has allowed me to) share my story with you.  At first, I didn’t think I could ever share my story with anyone.  But, I really don’t want you to actually share (live through) my experiences, even if you think you can handle it.  Just read this story and do something positive in your own life.
 
Note:  Names have been changed to protect each individual’s privacy.
 
Dedication:
This work is dedicated to Valrise Bendolf (Clay County Dept. of Corrections Holding Facility), Jackie Ratliff (Kilby – Montgomery Womens’ Facility), Fawn Romie/Mr. Roberts/Gary Parsons (Life Tech) and all of Mr. Robert’s little roses that he so diligently cultivated.  For all their good works, these people saved my life!
 
 
I hope that you find this ebook both interesting and helpful.
 
Sincerely,                                 
Heather Heaton
heatherheaton@rocketmail.com
http://www.heather-heaton.com
http://www.herlettersfromprison.com
 
 
Customer/Reader Review of “Her Letters from Prison”
Heather, ever since you first contacted me about your ebooks (and when I received them) I have been giving them traction.  At least two women on my case load checked them out, (like a library card so I would get them back) and were very moved by the content.  I haven’t had another problem with their behavior since they read them.  So…I know they are working.  They should be required reading, ordered by a Judge before women are sentenced to probation, so that they would fully understand the consequences of their behavior.  The coverage by The Prison Art Coalition blog is very good news both for Heather and for those that will read her story. 
 
They (“Her Letters from Prison:  Parts 1 & 2) should be used as text books for the next Life Tech facility for Women!!!  I wish I had some pull for money to build a better one.  I pray for it.
 
Gary Parsons
Parole Officer
State of Alabama – Board of Pardons & Parole

Thanks for this great post – I think you are very right – a broad range of reading is required to round your intelligence out. Sometimes I forget this myself and get so enthralled in reading books on psychology and NLP that I need to force myself to take a break and refresh with a different type of book. I like the part about the quotes – it’s something that I have started looking more at lately – nothing sums things up or supports and argument more then a good quote.

Dan
http://honeyishrunkthevids.blogspot.com/

First allow me to introduce myself to you. My name is Trinity. I would like to inform you that after i read your article I have  realized that I can make a changes in my life. I was too lazy to complete book( meaning novel) just because i end up losing focus. I love reading very much but the worse part is that after i completed a chapter i won’t remember what was all about. Can you please advice me what to do?

It would a great pleasure if i learn from expect.

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Wow ,this is awesome. I’m not not a strong or a often reader, but hearing this for the first time seems exciting, encouraging and yet difficult .. so I’m gonna give it a try…just effort the sake of comprehensive

Wow ,this is awesome. I’m not not a strong or a often reader, but hearing this for the first time seems exciting, encouraging and yet difficult .. so I’m gonna give it a try…just effort the sake of comprehensive

Thank yo sir for your information actually I an very poor in the English toking and no subject know ledge please give me you r answer how improve my knowledge.  please send good points in develop my mind send me my mail  E mail id :sajjankumar.kandavalli@gmail.com

theories that are likely disproved in the future…. not really. some but not all…
i like the creationist method of gravity being a theory. go into outer space once. i hope you are right on that “crappy” theory. complex brain you!

I love reading science books.  The topics of my interests varies from time to time.  Recently, I’m interested in reading a lot about nutritional science.

I thought mystery would be 1 of them guess not.

they say the brain is the most complex thing in mankinds existanse. this is a hint that there exists a god. our brains were wired to gather knowledge and last forever.

excuse me, existance!

You know it’s a good article when you still have people commenting after 4 years.  

You should add psychology to that list – besides what’s better than learning about why we all have the millions of different thoughts that we do.  Time to read some poetry.