Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty
Men don’t read fiction. Some of us do, of course. Some of us can’t stop. But when I became a novelist, I was surprised to learn that men account for just twenty percent of the fiction market. Most of my female friends read my first novel. Many of my male friends still intend to get around to it.
Theories abound regarding the “fiction gap.” Do men lean toward non-fiction because they’re hard-wired or societally encouraged to prefer “useful” material? Do they avoid fiction because it seems frivolous to spend so much time on made-up stories? Regardless of the reason, research is emerging about the benefits of fiction for men. I haven’t performed double-blind studies to prove my argument, but I’ll posit this: Men should read more fiction, because it makes one more empathetic, and empathy is useful.
I can’t think of another storytelling medium that allows us to inhabit the subjectivity of a character more deeply than fiction. And seeing the world through another’s eyes, especially someone completely different than us, helps us to strengthen our empathy muscle. Greater empathy makes us better parents, better spouses, better managers, better friends. Empathy is useful not only to the individual but also to society. Who can read the news these days without concluding that we could all benefit from seeing things from another’s point of view? But all that’s just my right brain making the logical case to your left brain. The reality? I can’t get enough of a good story.