Reading Fiction vs Non Fiction

​Researchers have documented and shared the benefits of reading for several years. It keeps the mind sharp and enhances vocabulary and communication skills. However, they have not decided if reading fiction or non-fiction benefits individuals more. Nonetheless, both remain beneficial.

Fiction refers to a creative piece based on imaginary events, plots, and characters. Many authors of fiction genres, such as mystery or thriller, science fiction or fantasy, and romance, aim to entertain their audiences. Others, like historical fiction and literary fiction, incorporate provoking narratives, plots, and complex characters that do more than entertain.

Non-fiction authors base their works on facts, real events, and real people, which informs and educates the reader. Non-fiction genres include biographies or memoirs, self-help or educational, science and history, and travel and culture.

In addition, fiction differs from non-fiction writing in that it focuses on creative prose to describe a setting or bring a character to life, stimulating the reader’s imagination. Non-fiction writing uses straight-to-the-point prose.

Reading fiction also differs from reading non-fiction. Some find that reading fiction demands less brainpower as it focuses on inspiring the imagination. Non-fiction engages the analytical side of the brain and may incorporate data, theories, ideas, and accounts to interrogate.

As such, fiction has become a stress-relieving activity for some readers. Reading fiction allows them to escape the realities of their everyday lives and into the writer's world. It invites the reader to dream, to lose themselves in imaginary worlds, and to forget all their worries, if only momentarily. 

Next, fiction cultivates empathy. It invites the reader to put themselves in the shoes of the different characters. Some characters reflect the reader. They help the reader understand themselves and their flaws or other people. Fiction explores complex human situations and social issues in a non-accusatory manner, serving as a safe space where the reader can navigate challenging situations. For example, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment explores the full range of the human condition, giving the reader insight into the complex emotional and psychological states that drive people to act in a certain way.

Meanwhile, reading a biography of people who beat the odds, like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and John D. Rockefeller, can inspire the reader. Like Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, self-help books inspire and offer practical lessons.

Works of non-fiction invite the reader on a journey of introspection and self-discovery. Just as a fiction reader might see themselves in a particular character, a non-fiction reader might find aspects that reflect his or hers in a memoir.

Neither fiction nor non-fiction is superior. They appeal to different types of readers. Fiction’s beautiful prose appeals to the creative and imaginative thinker. On the other hand, real-world stories tend to interest readers who see themselves as pragmatic. Sometimes what one reads comes down to the mood or time. For example, fiction can be ideal around bedtime.

People read for varied reasons, which might be the reason behind the fiction vs. non-fiction clash. Some read for nuggets of wisdom and practical lessons they can apply in their lives. Others read for reading’s sake.

Dalin Owen

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