Is reading novels just as useful as reading psychological non-fiction (as a method for learning about girls' and guys' behavior patterns)? Why?

[Bethany22]

I mean, I don't trust authors of fiction to depict characters correctly, since they usually don't have psychology degrees. So to me, in order to learn more about people, I feel like I should read psychology non-fiction based on studies to back up their claims about the human condition. And novels are so much more time consuming than movies, so I always worry that I'm investing time in the least informative novel. Any tips on this?

[abc3643]

Yes, absolutely.

After I read "The Power" by Naomi Alderman, I became "woke" (I hate that word) to a worldview that women have that I never imagined existed. However, while reading the novel, I found myself nervous and uncomfortable as I empathized with being a male in the world of this novel. In the novel, women become the physically dominant sex because of their new ability to deliver potentially lethal electric shocks like an electric eel - an ability males do not have. So, males are now the weaker sex and begin to fear women a bit because a woman - any female older than about 14 - could kill them. I came to discover that many women in our world today feel that way because they are the weaker sex. That feeling is something I never would have imagined but I discovered it from reading that novel and talking to women about it.

[Still-alive]

They probably aren’t useful for that purpose specifically but i still recommend reading them because reading generally i view as a net positive.

[GOLDFISH_smile]

Well u don't read a novel to find out psychology of the people the characters represent. You read novels it tells u about the psychology of the person who wrote the novel, how they see the world & what they think is good or bad about it. Plus it's just more entertaining lol

[FunkyMonkee]

As they are fiction, the author can make up any story they want and any personality trait they want!

[NathanDavis]

[Andres77]

If it’s a male author writing about male behavior, then you’re getting a primary source. If it’s a female author writing about male behavior, every single letter of every single word is biased.

[MustafaAl]

Hmm Geography book or
Book about extraction petroleum on sea and transporting it

[TooHot2Care]

No.

Wanna know the best way to learn that? Go outside and meet people.

That said, they CAN let you in on what their fantasies are.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Reading novels can give us some input and gather a bit on what they say.