The books people choose to read, particularly during leisure time like summer vacations, can offer subconscious insights into their personality, motivations, and even their anxieties, according to research cited by cognitive scientist Edgar Dubourg.
Dubourg, from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, suggests that reading choices are not random but act as a "map of your personality." He explains that when individuals select genres such as thrillers, romance, horror, or science fiction, they are tapping into pre-existing motivations and instincts rather than discovering new emotions.
Studies indicate that book selections can reveal what brings pleasure and elicits emotional responses. Dr. Valerie van Mulukom, a senior lecturer in psychology at Oxford Brookes University, has conducted research suggesting that a person's inner anxieties, referred to as existential insecurities, play a role in genre selection.
Van Mulukom's research categorizes reading preferences into four clusters based on engagement frequency:
- Epic other-world adventures: This category includes action, adventure, science fiction, dystopian/post-apocalyptic, and fantasy genres.
- Everyday life and human relationships: This encompasses comedy, romantic, drama, family, and musical genres.
- Threat and danger: This cluster comprises true crime, crime/mystery/thriller, and horror genres.
- Facts and histories: This category includes documentary, biography, and historical genres.
These classifications aim to link reading habits with underlying psychological factors, suggesting that the stories we are drawn to may be a reflection of our deeper selves and how we confront our anxieties.