personally i find it boring because it's too hard to focus on. movies and tv are more interesting because they're grabbing multiple senses. reading takes time and more thought. it's funny, like six years ago i was the biggest reader - i was reading constantly. then i just kind of stopped. i guess i grew out of it or something.

I think people only think reading is boring because they haven't actually found something that they find interesting to read. There are things to read on every possible subject. Every person who enjoys anything (sports, food, video games, fashion etc.) can find something to read. But most people don't realize that reading can be done for pleasure and associate reading with school. I don't know about you, but when I was in school, there was only one book that I was forced to read that I actually enjoyed. All the other books were books that I never appreciated until I re-read them later in life. As kids we are told what to read and if we have bad experiences with those books then that experience will influence reading habits later in life. Plus, I think we have to differentiate between what you mean by reading. Reading books? Reading magazines? Reading the stuff on websites? If you include the internet, newspapers, manuals, magazines, flyers etc. there's a lot of reading going on. Just not the conventional act of sitting down and reading a book.

Some people have too short attention spans and have got used to not needing their imaginations anymore. I believe it is called the MTV generation.

It is easy for readers to be intellectually snobby about non-readers, but different people have different preferences and it really depends on how you like to process information. Some people find it easier than others to create visualisations (see things in the 'minds-eye'), and that's the core skill with reading; you read words, hear the sounds, imagine the images. But if that process is slow for you, or laborious (if the images don't just jump off the page) reading will quickly become boring. You may be the type of person who finds Sudoko puzzles really interesting, or crosswords, or you might just be the type of person who wants to DO something. That is not necessarily a lack of attention span (let's face it some people can keep their attention fixed on a single spot for hours and hours -- it's called 'watching tv'), more a preference for one form of thought processing.

Some people are 'action oriented'. A recreational activity must be physical for them to derive enjoyment out of it. There are some simply can't 'sit still'- but I tend to think the availability of video games, television and computer usage make reading nearly obsolete for hordes of folks now.

I think a lot of it is to do with school. It sounds unrelated, but I really dislike sport and for years after leaving school avoided taking execise of any kind- the reason being that I had a really hellish time in Phys. Ed. lessons at school. I wasn't especially talented at it, my teacher was a bully, the clothes we had to wear were frankly humiliating, and the unacademic-yet-muscle-bound girls saw hockey as an oppurtunity to beat the s*** out of anyone who ever fumbled a ball. Therefore its hardly suprising that I left school thinking that exercise was my idea of hell. Its probably only because I attended dance classes outside of school (which I didn't associate with exercise) that I didn't end up ridiculously obese and unhealthy! I think a lot of people, particularly those who have trouble with English, have a similar experience when it comes to reading. A teacher who presents the material in a boring way, yells or laughs at them when they don't get something, doesn't get them excited about the texts, and more or less teaches in a "This is what you need to repeat parrot fashion to get through the exam." attitude towards teaching literature- thus not allowing people to see the real benefits literature can offer. (I have major issues with the "this will get you through the exam" approach to teaching any subject, but that's a seperate issue!) In my first year English catch I actually had a teacher who introduced Romeo & Juliet by groaning "Really sorry but the national curriculum insists I have to teach you Shakespeare". Hardly suprising no-one in the class was very interested in it. Afterwards I had the good fortune to have a fantastic teacher who was enthusiastic about all the texts we read, encouraged us to act out scenes from plays, made comparisons between 17th century works and the modern day ("Rape of the Lock" and "Les Liasons Dangerouses" having major echoes in the world of modern teenagers), getting us to imagine what the characters might look and sound like, offering to lend us similar books if we warmed to something. I think if more people had that kind of education, less people would have the "Reading? Why would you do that if you didn't have to?" attitude.

One study says that 60% of people are visual learners. That leaves 40% who aren't. If someone is in the 20% of audio learners, then they have the option of audio books. But that leaves the 20% of tactile learners. Words must be pretty boring to a strictly tactile learner, I mean, you can't touch them with your hands to learn extra info that way.

I think there are many reasons... They could be visual people, who need pictures and movement to catch their attention... They might not be able to read all that well. They were forced to read as a child, and didn't enjoy it, so it stuck. They have not found a type of book that really interests them. Etc, etc, etc.

I used to read all the time when I was younger (fiction based works), but through high school and now into college I don't really read "for fun" anymore. I don't have a short attention span, and I haven't lost my "imagination skills" (I'm an engineering student for crying out loud... the statements above seem a bit short-sighted). I tend to only read when it's non-fiction... that is, when I need to learn something. Whenever I have free time I usually spend it socializing or playing the guitar. So in short, recreational reading isn't necessarily boring to me. There are simply other things that I'd rather do in my spare time.

Probably because they are select members of the mental delete.

I'm guessing they're out there having a real life that is way more exciting than any fake life (or real life) that they may read about. I like reading, mainly to learn stuff and there is so much stuff that I still want to learn. But I do want to have a life as well, and hours spent in front of a book is not hours spent popping wheelies, if you get my drift.

Because, like many things (I don't count Tv and media, it's too easy), reading takes time and discipline. It's like working out or any sport. In the beggining it's hard, but after some time, you need it more and more.

For me I am a visual person. Although I do like to sit and read a good book.I have a baby and it is tuff finding the time to actually enjoy it.My favorite book is the bible but I can only make it through a couple of chapters at a time. I am not smart enough to understand things and I feel really dumb when I run into a situation as that. So sometimes I will intentionally avoid it.

I find reading a book absolutely boring if I am just reading it. It just doesn't really sink in that way a lot of the time for me. It's easier for me to read out loud. On a page, it is just too much. A lot of web sites that have academic journals are just too much for me. I like reading stuff on Answerbag, though..... :)

I find reading extremely boring, but the problem is, I'm 13 and I have lots of reading projects. I also find reading extremely hard to comprehend, my vocabulary is awesome and I usually make all A's and A+'s. But I just can't seem to find out why I can't remember anything I just read, I'm trying to read Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl." But the problem is, it gets so boring, I just stop reading or fall asleep, like once I fell asleep at 12:00p.m, in the middle of the day! Because of reading. I just need some answers too, to the question above and my question. Why do I find reading hard to comprehend and hard to stay focused?

I generally find that most people like to read, its just that they haven't found the right book yet. Or at least I tell myself that so I don't cry.

I think those types can't sit still long enough. They need to be busy and moving around.

I think they've not learned how to visualize what they're reading. With MTV, video games, TV, etc., EVERYTHING is laid out in front of you. If you learn to imagine it, then it's not so boring. If it's "just words", then it's boring.

Some people prefer visual stimulation. Me, I love to read.

They have to use their brains and think for themselves. Most people do not know how to do that. They have never had to do it in the public school system as it has been for the last few decades. Instead of being read to and taught to read and entertain themselves, pre-schoolers are plopped in front of a TV set from the time they can visually focus on anything. The TV is their baby sitter. Indeed, the TV is often their mother and father. You can watch kids faces in school when a teacher is trying to tell them something. They are looking out the window or talking to their seat mates. But, put a TV or video in front of the classroom and all eyes focus,...the room becomes quiet,..eyes glaze over as they stare at the "thing". It is "Mama" speaking to them, as if from the womb.

I find reading a fiction and most fact books boring because I have other things I prefer to do. ^^ And I bet that's what the people mean when they say "reading is boring". ^^ The question seems pointless.