In the present world of hustle and rigorous scheduling, we often find ourselves wanting to take a break, and for many people, that is picking up a good book. A place where they can escape reality, to live countless lives, explore distant landscapes, and perhaps live out a life that is more colorful, adventurous, and a life that has all the freedom that the one they live in lacks. But recently, there has been a paradigm shift. Fiction books are not seen as a piece of information but rather, a mere waste of time by some people. This notion, however, oversimplifies and deeply misunderstands the purpose and value of fiction.
People who read fiction have been regarded as much more social beings and much avid in reading as compared to their non-fiction counterparts. Now, how does this happen? Understanding characters in narrative fiction has been linked to understanding peers in the real world. When we read narrative fiction, we are not just absorbing words; we are learning how people think, respond, and feel. We observe conflicts, relationships, insecurities, flaws, and growth, and maybe, celebrate it as a personal win. Whereas comprehension of expository non-fiction lacks such analogies and often focuses on information transmission, not emotional interpretation. In contrast to non-fiction readers, frequent fiction readers may improve their social skills at a far superior level.
Another reason is our social media and influencers and podcast culture, where book recommendations have shifted from “this story is beautiful” to “this changed my mindset.” It becomes easier to discuss a book that has been read by millions and claim to make “positive changes” in their lives. These phrases resonate strongly with a generation that feels uncertain, isolated, and pressured to constantly better themselves, and offer them their version of answers to questions like the purpose of life and how to really fit in, or just how to be happy. Non-fiction books promise them that, or at least the idea of that.
Gender plays another role in influencing the books you pick up. Studies show that men are less likely to enjoy a fiction book as compared to women. Reading about women characters in depth is something the male species is less inclined towards, whereas women show a higher chance of reading about any character at length. Many men grow up internalizing the idea that reading fiction, especially stories with emotional or relational depth, is somehow less productive or less aligned with traditional masculine expectations. Yet fiction is not limited to romantic plots or domestic dramas; it encompasses every genre imaginable: fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thrillers, etc, offering just as much intellectual challenge as emotional depth.
Some other factors include that fiction books fail to teach you any valuable life lessons, but if you ask some people, they tend to make the exact opposite statement. People who read fiction understand concepts such as compassion, sympathy, and social understanding much better than those who read just non-fiction. A person may learn how to structure their time or build a routine from a self-help book, but fiction teaches them why people behave as they do, how emotions shape decisions, and what it feels like to exist in someone else’s world.
Non-fiction and other similar genres like biographies have become the new fad. Young people today are growing up in a culture that glorifies constant productivity. They are encouraged to absorb lessons from the lives of influential entrepreneurs, athletes, or thinkers, in the belief that modeling their behavior will lead to success. But this begs the question: Do we truly learn to live by studying someone else’s path? Or do we learn by walking our own, making our own mistakes, and discovering meaning through experience? Inspiration can be helpful, but personal growth is not something that can be replicated from a formula or borrowed from another person’s life story.
The world is rapidly growing, and it is now more than ever that people need a digital detox. An escape from the cruel web of instant gratification and color-led dopamine from their screen. Fiction offers something increasingly rare: slowness. It provides a sense of exploration, a world beyond the understanding of your imagination, and makes you wonder the way you used to, as a kid. Although a lot of studies suggest that people are reading now less than ever, it makes sense to feel a weird relief that even though it's only a certain genre, at least there’s a community out there that much prefers the solace of their favorite place and a good book in their hand, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. Humans are and have been the most complex creatures. The quest for knowledge is insatiable, and so is the art of storytelling. Long before science, philosophy, or formal education, stories were how we understood the world and taught values. The desire to imagine, to dream, to feel connected to something beyond the tangible is deeply human. The art of storytelling is not disappearing; it is evolving. Fiction remains not just entertainment, but a profound reflection of what it means to be human.