Men between the ages of 20 and 50 do not read fiction

Men between the ages of 20 and 50 do not read fiction(overcomingbias.com)

4 points by codeismightier 16 years ago | 9 comments

I spend my time reading books on mathematics, finance, or programming. If I'm going to escape from nonfiction, it's going to be through a movie.

david927 16 years ago | |

This is one of the great mistakes of our time: that knowledge is the goal. If that's the goal, anything other than fact and logic-based areas are not worthwhile. But this is simply an unfortunate side-effect of the industrial revolution.

Understanding is the goal, and knowledge is necessary but not sufficient for understanding. (In fact, knowledge which doesn't promote understanding is trivia, though you probably won't know which that is until the end of your life.)

Fiction literature is absolutely one of the best sources of understanding. Be careful that you're not fishing in the river when you live near the sea.

BrentRitterbeck 16 years ago | | |

That's not the point of what I wrote. I was trying to stress that if I leave the nonfiction world, it's going to be through a different medium. Fiction is a great thing. I don't deny that.

cema 16 years ago | |

When I want to escape from nonfiction, I go hiking... But your point is good, I think: there is much more to culture than just literature.

nfnaaron 16 years ago |

Is it that "when men in general are between 20 and 50," or is it "the specific group of men who are now between 20 and 50?"

The article seems more focused on the second, having interviewed 500 specific people this one time. I wonder if there's something different about this specific cohort, or if that's just what tends to happen to men in that age group.

I've read fiction my entire adult life. I'm 50+ male.

nuweborder 16 years ago |

I have to cosign this notion. I am a 28 year old man, and I have always not liked fiction. I only read non-fiction. It is most interesting to me, and I enjoy learning, and like to learn from people and things that have actually occured. At this age, I am extremely focused on my career (aka: business), and therefore I read mostly non-fiction business related books. And just because thats what I'm interested in, I dont think my preference will change even as I grow out of the 20-50 year old bracket.

cema 16 years ago |

I (male, 41) have stopped reading fiction at one point (was only rereading some). Then, after several years, I joined a group of friends in a book club which forced me to read new fiction books. I enjoy discussing what I have read more than reading it, though.

adrianwaj 16 years ago |

I read fiction up until 18 because it was forced upon me at school.

stuaxo 16 years ago |

This one does... I prefer to SF to realistic fiction though, I get enough realism in real life thanks!