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[MBTI General] Type & Reading Style

MBTI Enthusiast

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I have recently discovered an interesting difference in the way my older sister (INFP) and I read novels. I have always read a lot faster than her… but I never thought twice about it. That was until I decided to read a book to her aloud since she needed to multitask and I really wanted her to read this one book. (Don’t ask… lol.) At that point, I realized the difference in our reading styles.

As I was reading to her, I noticed that she stopped repeatedly to say things like, “I bet that character will end up doing __________ or this or that will happen…” So I kept trying to read more to show her what actually happens but she kept interrupting me to analyze the plot!

So I eventually concluded: I read as fast as I can because I’m either dying to know what happens in the book or bored with it and want to get it over with. I notice I get bored with the details and try to skim those to get through the plot as fast as possible. However, my sister tends to read slower because she is constantly trying to absorb the details, really imagining being in the various situations, analyzing the plot, predicting the endings, etc. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what COULD happen, I just want to know what DOES happen.

So, does anyone think this is related to type? Perhaps an S/N difference? Or maybe SJ/NP? Or even just J/P. It’s hard to tell, but I thought it could be related. I'd love to hear your thoughts...
 

Lucas

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I tend to do both if that makes sense. I both read to find out what happens, and at the same time imagine possible outcomes.
That said, this seems like an S/N difference.
 

Such Irony

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Like you I read fast. With fiction, I need stories that are fast-moving to hold my interest. However, I do read slowly enough so that I take the time to analyze the plot. I need to make the connections between characters and different plot threads and why people are doing what they're doing. Most of all, I need everything to fit into a logically coherent whole. That's Ti for you. :yes: I also like to predict what's going to happen next.

I often skim over the details when I can get away with it and I know its not important to the story. Although, I can't always do that with mysteries because those seemingly unimportant details often end up being significant later.

If the book is boring enough, I just give up on it and move on to another book. I don't have to finish every book I start. I think J's are more likely to do that. I've kind of given myself a 50 page rule. If it doesn't hold my interest by 50 pages, its probably not going to be the book for me. If I really want to know what happens even for books I don't intend on finishing I can always 'cheat' by looking up the plot synopsis online or asking someone who's read it.
 

Lady_X

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i read fast if it's boring or i just need to get all the relevant info...it's like speedreading...or getting the big picture outline.

but if it's something interesting and i'm reading for enjoyment i'm like your sister...i read a bit and them reflect...read some more...reflect haha but this way becomes a part of my experience and i can retain it except i can never be quite sure which bits i filled in or actually read...that can be a problem...but in the other way of reading it seems the information goes into a temporary holding cell and will be erased very very soon...it sucks...my si sucks!
 

Noon

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When reading for enjoyment, if and when the book starts to get interesting, I usually read slowly in order to experience the story vividly enough in my head. That applies whether it's fantasy, sci-fi, or even memoir. I love it when the writers pack the stories full of even little (seemingly mundane to others) details that as a whole can make the story jump off the pages even more (for instance, spending some time describing the ripple patterns the coffee is making while the person anxiously rocks the cup). I like to actually be there.

But even though I will read slowly at times, I can finish the overall book much more quickly than some others (many times with better recall as well). I become totally absorbed and won't stop reading until it's done, especially when the suspense starts to build (I speed up then, admittedly). When it does end, I usually spend some extra time going over it (the signs pointing to such an ending, the newly found significance of certain actions or words exchanged between characters, how the story might possibly go on, the highlights, among other things). Most importantly, I like to think I take some part of the story with me forever.
 

mrcockburn

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I just scan. Literally, when I read your OP, my eyes darted around 4 different places, and with the title, I got the "gist" of the thread. When I read a book, I'm a little more generous. My eyes kind of rove down the page. I still get the message, it's just too tedious to actually READ everything. I don't even proof-read my own posts, because I'm that lazy.

For some textbooks though, like accounting, you're forced to slow down and actually read the damn words. Either that, or read this: "F-"
 

Chaotic Harmony

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I read pretty fast most of the time. If a book is fast paced and I'm really into it, I have trouble putting it down or slowing down on the speed I am reading. If a chapter is too wordy or seems to be going into unnecessary details I will resort to just skimming through some of the paragraphs... I usually hold off on any analyzing until I hit a breaking point and I'm done reading for the time being... :)
 

Saslou

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I read fast but am able to visualise the plot without difficulty.

To much details and i'm bored .. Couldn't finish 'The Green Mile' because of the mouse.
 

Totenkindly

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Yeah, I think big-picture people are far more apt to skim read -- grasping the main point without really basking in and savoing the details. Some types seem more linear in their approach and read word by word and don't grasp the big picture as easily. But it's not confined to type, it depends on one's reading experience and skill as well.

I constantly have to make myself stop and read word per word when I'm reading fiction, or complicated non-fiction, so that I don't miss important details and/or don't miss enjoying the story to the fullest.
 

Chaotic Harmony

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I read fast but am able to visualise the plot without difficulty.

To much details and i'm bored .. Couldn't finish 'The Green Mile' because of the mouse.

I have that problem with ALL of Stephen King's books.... Seems like he goes into too much detail on everything.
 

Walking Tourist

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I like to read novels with lots of description. It helps me feel as if I can visualize the world of the book. When I'm reading a really good book, I can feel as if I am part of the world of the book. It's the details that do that for me, especially if they are vivid and colorful. But that's also the way that I experience my external world... with lots of colors and shapes and smells and sounds... lots and lots of sensory detail, and I'm so happy...
 

Totenkindly

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I have that problem with ALL of Stephen King's books.... Seems like he goes into too much detail on everything.

Are you insinuating that IT was too long at 1250 pages? :smile:
 

Randomnity

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I read very fast and miss a lot of details. I kinda take in phrases here and there more than reading linearly. I don't consider myself either big-picture or detail-oriented, just normal. I'm not sure this is related to type from this thread, but who knows. I've read a LOT of books in my life.

I loved Stephen King once but haven't felt like that type of book for a while. I really, really hated LOTR (and similarly-written fantasy) even though I love the story line and hence the movies. The mind-numbing details and freaking poetry everywhere kills it for me. I'm more interested in plot and especially character development than the 17 different shades of red in an autumn landscape. lol.
 

EJCC

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So I eventually concluded: I read as fast as I can because I’m either dying to know what happens in the book or bored with it and want to get it over with. I notice I get bored with the details and try to skim those to get through the plot as fast as possible. However, my sister tends to read slower because she is constantly trying to absorb the details, really imagining being in the various situations, analyzing the plot, predicting the endings, etc. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what COULD happen, I just want to know what DOES happen.
I don't know if reading speed is an S/N difference - since I know an INFJ who, at exciting points in books, skims to the point of missing important plot details - but I do read pretty quickly. However, when I catch myself skimming, I make myself stop, because I don't want to miss anything potentially important. (I'll bet it's a J/P thing, actually, because the people I know who take their sweet time with things are always xxxP, so that probably applies to reading, too.)

As for the bolded part, that's pretty much how I read - and also how I watch mystery movies. Both of my parents (INFJ and INTP) enjoy speculating and trying to predict who did it, but I just go along for the ride. I'd rather focus on the story that's written than try and make up my own.
 

Chaotic Harmony

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Are you insinuating that IT was too long at 1250 pages? :smile:

:yes: :cheese:

I do like descriptions of things...but there is a point where I'm like, "did we really need to use an entire paragraph to describe the dog?"
 

Noon

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:yes: :cheese:

I do like descriptions of things...but there is a point where I'm like, "did we really need to use an entire paragraph to describe the dog?"

:laugh:

It's very funny that most people I know that read/have read King will say something exactly along those lines.
 

Chaotic Harmony

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:laugh:

It's very funny that most people I know that read/have read King will say something exactly along those lines.

Well at least I know I'm not overreacting about it then... Unless there is an entire group of us overreacting about his details. :blush:
 

Malice

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I read fast but am able to visualise the plot without difficulty. To much details and i'm bored

This. :yes:
I can pack away a large book in a day if it's a real page turner, if it's not up to par though I might not even make it past the first couple of chapters. *shrugs* When I read I visualize in real time, I imagine what the characters look and sound like, their body language and their expressions. I never try and savour an ending, I want to know what happens NOW. Bouncing potential ideas/outcomes off friends can be fun too though, I still think Harry Potter should have ended differently.

:steam:
... *grumbles*
 

Chaotic Harmony

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This. :yes:
I can pack away a large book in a day if it's a real page turner, if it's not up to par though I might not even make it past the first couple of chapters. *shrugs* When I read I visualize in real time, I imagine what the characters look and sound like, their body language and their expressions. I never try and savour an ending, I want to know what happens NOW. Bouncing potential ideas/outcomes off friends can be fun too though, I still think Harry Potter should have ended differently.

:steam:
... *grumbles*

I haven't read the final Harry Potter book... I read all the way up to that one and then, by the time it was finally released I had lost interest...

Worst book ending ever for me was Stephen King's Cell.... That ending thoroughly pissed me off because I felt like there were so many unanswered questions about the characters. :censored::ng_mad:
 
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