Reading & Intelligence: Do People With High IQs Read Faster?

Research shows that, while reading and intelligence correlate to a degree, reading speed doesn’t depend on IQ. In fact, people with high IQs don’t read faster than anyone else—at least not unless they’ve trained themselves to do it.

In this article, we will examine the correlation between reading and intelligence in more depth, uncover some of the factors that affect reading speed, and share some tips on how to read faster.

So, let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways

• People with high IQs don’t read faster than anyone else; they only process information faster, but that doesn’t necessarily correlate with reading speed.
• Reading speed depends on the language of the text, your familiarity with and interest in the topic, your state of mind, and your reading purpose.
• Reading speed can be improved through scanning, avoiding distractions, minimizing rereading, and frequent reading.

What is IQ?

IQ is a score that denotes how developed your cognitive skills are compared to those of your peers. Once that’s determined using an IQ test, your score is placed on a scale typically ranging from 40 to 160.

The original IQ test was developed by Alfred Binet, a French psychologist whose goal was to identify children who needed extra help in school. That test, later translated to English and dubbed the “Stanford-Binet test,” used the now outdated concept of mental age.

Basically, an IQ test would determine the test taker’s mental age based on the development of their cognitive skills. Then, it would divide this age by their actual age and multiply the result by 100.

So, if a 10-year-old child has the cognitive skills of a 13-year-old, their IQ score would be 130, placing them in the gifted category.

Nowadays, IQ tests, including our own expertly designed test, calculate intelligence by comparing your performance to that of your peers.

If you perform as well as the majority of people, you’ll have an IQ of 100—the average IQ score. IQ scores higher than 115 are considered above average, while those below 85 may indicate a cognitive disability.

Does Reading Increase IQ?

Reading increases IQ by developing new pathways in your brain that allow you to think more creatively and by introducing you to original opinions and viewpoints. In addition, it increases your crystallized intelligence, a crucial component of general intelligence.

Here are some of the ways you can use reading to give your intelligence a boost:

• Read non-fiction. Expand your knowledge about whatever topic you’re interested in by reading non-fiction. We recommend taking up philosophy, psychology, or popular science—these books are often written in an engaging way yet rich with knowledge and fascinating information.
• Don’t neglect fiction. Reading about fictional characters and worlds can be just as beneficial for your intelligence as consuming non-fiction. After all, fiction allows you to explore different perspectives and helps you develop out-of-the-box thinking and creativity—two important aspects of intelligence.
• Engage with books meaningfully. Reading on its own is enough to increase your intelligence, but if you want an additional boost, join a book club or a discussion forum online. That way, you’ll think about the content even after you’re done reading and analyze it in more depth.

Do People With High IQs Read Faster?

People with high IQs don’t actually read faster, or at least, research hasn’t found a strong correlation between reading speed and intelligence.

Of course, there is a widespread belief that better reading speed indicates higher intelligence and vice versa, stemming from the fact that people with high IQs think faster. However, thinking fast doesn’t have anything to do with reading speed; it only improves the ability to retain and comprehend new information.

In fact, for the most part, high reading speed isn’t an innate ability. It’s actually a skill that can be developed using appropriate reading techniques and frequent practice. And while people with high IQs may pick up this skill faster, they aren’t automatically better at it.

Ultimately, reading does correlate with intelligence, but reading speed doesn’t—at least not meaningfully enough to claim that smart people read books faster.

What Does the Reading Speed Depend on?

Reading speed depends on the style of the text, your familiarity with the topic, the purpose of reading, your state of mind, and your interest in the subject.

Let’s explore each of these factors in more detail:

• Style. Your reading speed won’t be the same when going through a complex scientific paper written in highly academic language and reading a fiction book for the general public. The former will naturally go slower, as you’ll need to be fully focused to understand the topic.
• Familiarity with the topic. The more you know about a certain topic, the faster you’ll read content related to it. That’s because you won’t waste time familiarizing yourself with new concepts—you already know enough to skim through some parts.
• Reading purpose. Are you reading for fun or with the specific intent of finding certain information? In the first case, you can take your time and simply enjoy yourself instead of skimming through the text, which is characteristic of the second case.
• State of mind. If you’re feeling distracted, worried, or generally unwell, your reading speed will likely significantly suffer. You’ll need more time to fully comprehend each sentence, and you might find yourself rereading the same paragraphs over and over again.
• Interest. When you’re interested in the topic you’re reading about, things tend to go quite smoothly. You’ll fly over the text, retain all the necessary information, and stay basically immune to distractions. On the other hand, content that doesn’t interest you will likely be a challenge to get through.

Is Reading Speed a Measure of Intelligence?

Reading speed is not a measure of intelligence—as stated before, anyone can learn to read fast with enough practice.

In fact, here are several techniques to help you improve your reading speed:

• Scan the text. Before you start reading, review the text quickly and familiarize yourself with the topic, format, and some basic information. That way, you’ll know what to expect once you start reading, and the whole process will flow far more smoothly.
• Find a quiet place. Distractions can be detrimental to your reading speed—even if you’re distracted for only a few seconds, your brain won’t be able to instantly get back into the reading zone. So, look for a quiet, distraction-free place to make the most of your reading session.
• Don’t reread paragraphs. Even if something doesn’t make sense right away, there’s a high chance it will in the context of the entire text. As a result, rereading rarely helps with comprehension and, more likely, only wastes your time.
• Read frequently. The more you read, the quicker you’ll become at reading, especially if you implement some of the above-mentioned techniques.

Finally, if you want to track your progress, test your reading speed using a timer. Set it for one minute and see how many words you can read before the time runs out. Then, after a few days of using reading techniques, time yourself again and take note of the improvement.

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Final Thoughts

Although people with high IQs don’t read faster, they do comprehend quickly and retain information better.

On top of that, high intelligence comes with many other cognitive perks, such as better working memory, excellent problem-solving skills, developed creativity, and solid decision-making abilities.

To find out whether your cognitive abilities are highly developed, you can test your intelligence at IQtest.net with our expertly designed test and find out your IQ score.

Additionally, to explore more about the effectiveness and limitations of IQ assessments, check out our article 'Are IQ Tests Reliable?'