Fiction vs Nonfiction Debate

 Most people have a preference for either fiction or nonfiction, and while you may like one more than the other, there are also people who argue about which one is more beneficial to read. It is easy to make a case for why reading nonfiction books is beneficial. According to an article from Blinkist Magazine, there are 5 reasons to read more nonfiction books: you'll learn valuable life lessons, your concentration will improve, you'll become a better communicator, you'll become brighter, and it improves memory and analytical skills (click here to read the article). While there's no doubt that reading nonfiction books can be beneficial to the reader in many ways, let's not forget that reading fiction books also has some benefits of its own. According to an article from Harvard Business Review, reading fiction books helps the reader develop emotional intelligence, which is a very important skill. The article goes on to say that, "reading literary fiction helps people develop empathy, theory of mind, and critical thinking," (click here to read the article). 

It appears that both fiction and nonfiction books offer desirable benefits, so why are we debating which one is better? Certainly, reading anything at all will be providing some level of benefit to the reader. If you like one over the other, feel free to keep enjoying it guilt-free. Let's stop calling fiction books our "guilty pleasures" and let's stop encouraging only one type of reading. If both fiction and nonfiction offer different benefits, imagine how well-rounded readers could be if we read both. There are books out there for everyone, and as long as you're enjoying what you're reading - you're doing it right.

Thanks for reading!