Reading | Psychology

Why Successful People Read Fiction

And why they may never be powerful politicians.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

I never imagined, until 2016, that I might be eminently qualified to be President of the United States. Never mind that family and friends have suggested, for years, that I ought to run for office — call it imposter syndrome or self-awareness, it never occurred to me that they might be serious.

Now, I am filled, again, with self-doubt. Not that I doubt my abilities, but I feel I may be lacking the requisite dose of psychopathy to wield such enormous power selfishly, and without mercy. I fear that this is, at least in part, due to years of reading fiction.

Fiction Tells Truths We’d Never Dare to Contemplate

“Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.”
― Albert Camus

We can play make believe, yet recognize certain truths within a story. It is safer, in many respects, to illustrate some “truths” — or observations and opinions on reality — than to confront those issues head-on. Readers may be more receptive to exploring ideas illustrated through stories. In reading fiction, we can quietly, privately contemplate our attitudes towards the characters and towards the situations in which they find themselves…