Summer Reading Choices Reveal Personality, Study Shows
A recent investigation conducted by cognitive scientist Edgar Dubourg at École Normale Supérieure in Paris indicates that the reading preferences during summer are indicative of individual personality traits and anxieties. Dubourg notes that the choice of genre engages primitive brain functions associated with motivations. Research led by Dr. Valerie van Mulukom at Oxford Brookes University categorizes four genre clusters linked to existential fears: epic adventures (action, sci-fi) address future anxieties; everyday life (comedy, romance) mirrors social concerns; threat (true crime, thriller) reflects an intrigue with danger; and facts (documentary, biography) point to a quest for understanding. Current bestsellers in the UK exemplify these categories. Dubourg concludes that the books chosen for vacations reveal deeper subconscious preferences and worries.
Key facts
- Edgar Dubourg is a cognitive scientist at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris.
- Dr Valerie van Mulukom is a senior lecturer in psychology at Oxford Brookes University.
- The study identifies four genre clusters: epic other-world adventures, everyday life and human relationships, threat and danger, and facts and histories.
- Thrillers and crime novels indicate an intrigue with threat and danger.
- Romance novels reflect worries about relationships and social status.
- Science fiction and fantasy readers tend to worry about climate change or war.
- Non-fiction readers may be searching for answers rather than adventures.
- UK bestsellers cited include 'The Secret of Secrets' by Dan Brown and 'Heartstopper Volume 6' by Alice Oseman.
Entities
Artists
- Edgar Dubourg
- Valerie van Mulukom
- Stephen King
- Dan Brown
- Claire Douglas
- Patrick Radden Keefe
- Virginia Evans
- Florence Knapp
- Alice Oseman
- Bree Grenwich
- Parker Lennox
- Rob Grant
- Andrew Marshall
- Sarah A Parker
- Frank Herbert
- James Ellroy
- Maggie Haberman
- Jonathan Swan
- Arundhati Roy
- Sarah Wynn-Williams
Institutions
- École Normale Supérieure
- Oxford Brookes University
- Penguin
- Picador
- Phoenix
- Hodder
- Gollancz
- HarperVoyager
- Simon & Schuster
- Pan
Locations
- Paris
- France
- United Kingdom