Why Do You Actually Read?
Four different reasons that get lumped together as 'liking books'
Ask an adult why they read and most give the same one-word answer - enjoyment - which flattens at least four separate motives researchers have found pulling in different directions. Some people read because a book is where they feel most like themselves. Some read because they trust their own ability to follow a difficult text, which is its own kind of confidence. Some read partly to be seen as someone who reads. And some read almost entirely to get better at other things - work, exams, arguments - with the story itself as a side effect. Most readers run on a mix, and the mix predicts how much they actually read far better than a single score for 'enjoyment' ever could.
Before you start There are no right answers. Pick what is usually true for you, not what sounds best.
Answer about reading you choose for yourself, not the reading a job or a class assigns you.
What it measures
Four motives from the Adult Reading Motivation Scale: reading as part of your sense of self, reading efficacy (confidence in your own comprehension), reading for recognition (being seen by others as a reader) and reading for utility (to do well in other areas of life, like work or study). It differs from a simple 'do you enjoy reading' question by separating enjoyment from identity, confidence, image and payoff, which pull apart more often than people expect.
Based on: Adult Reading Motivation Scale (Schutte & Malouff, 2007)
Possible results
Reading and identity
How much being a reader is part of who you are.
Reading efficacy
How confident you are in your own ability to follow and understand what you read.
Reading for recognition
How much you read partly to be seen as someone who reads.
Reading for utility
How much you read to do well in other areas of your life.
Common questions
Does reading a lot mean you must be motivated by identity?
No. Someone can read every day almost entirely for utility - to stay sharp for work - with reading-as-identity barely registering. Volume and motive are related but not the same thing, which is exactly why the scale separates them.
Is reading for recognition a shallow reason to read?
Not particularly - most habits people are proud of started partly for social reasons. Wanting to be seen as well-read has got plenty of people through their first serious books; the only thing worth watching is whether it is steering you towards titles you would not otherwise finish.
Why do I own more books than I have finished?
Because buying a book satisfies the identity and recognition motives instantly, while finishing it depends on efficacy and enjoyment holding up for hundreds of pages. The gap between the two piles is completely normal and says more about which motive is strongest for you than about discipline.
Sources
- Schutte, N. S., & Malouff, J. M. (2007). Dimensions of Reading Motivation: Development of an Adult Reading Motivation Scale. Reading Psychology. doi:10.1080/02702710701568991
- Mol, S. E., & Bus, A. G. (2011). To read or not to read: A meta-analysis of print exposure from infancy to early adulthood. Psychological Bulletin. doi:10.1037/a0021890
An honest note This is a short adaptation of the Adult Reading Motivation Scale, with original statements rather than the published items, so scores are not comparable to published norms. The scale was developed and validated with adult samples in mind, mostly in English-speaking, book-buying populations, so how these four motives balance out may look different in other reading cultures or formats (audiobooks, for instance, were not part of the original research). None of the four motives is more valid than another, and a low score on any of them is not a judgement on how much you read.
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