Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Thornton
Does he have any kind of evidence?
I would have thought that integrative, so called "right brained", thinking would be enhanced by reading a wide range of different material (both in terms of subject matter and "quality").
My advice would be the opposite - to actually sample something which you normally wouldn't in order to expand your horizons.
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There is more than enough research that links working consistently below your previously-received level of education with cognitive decline, yes. This is not to say that reading a single fluff novel will make you retarded, but I don't think that's what the quoted author was trying to say.
Anyway, arguments about 'integrative thinking' are very nice, but to notice trends they have to be there. And while there are definitely patterns in romance novels (girl meets prince, girl bats eyelashes, girl becomes pregnant and enjoys a 'fulfilling life' in tent of bedouin), they are not necessarily very interesting ones. GIGO applies. There is no reason to expect that "different material" will only reliably expand horizons when you vary both the subject and the quality; varying the former should be more than sufficient.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom
You are going to criticize me because I read romance novels? Frankly, I find people with a broad range of interests more interesting than those without. [...] Who is more deserving of criticism in your mind - someone sitting on the train reading a romance novel, or someone drinking a beer and fighting with his girlfriend on the phone?
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I'm confused. What does "having a broad range of interests" have to do with reading both 'low' and 'high' culture works?
Are "interests" only broad when people say they are interested in baseball alongside information theory? Because I really don't get that argument, even if I've heard it more than a few times now.