7 Conversation Topics that Reveal a Lack of Reading
Reading can significantly impact how you engage with others, particularly in discussions about work or creativity.
When your contributions to these conversations sound like clichés from a motivational poster, it may indicate that your knowledge is based on posts rather than in-depth pages from books.
Books complicate the story—they introduce survivorship bias, selection effects, base rates, and the messy truth that success is multi-factor.
Reading widely can shift your focus from simplistic, heroic narratives to more nuanced discussions about mechanisms, incentives, metrics, and systems.
One practical approach to improve conversation depth is the "replace the noun" test: if a sentence remains clichéd when swapping "work" with "gym" or "money", it lacks specificity.
A more concrete and meaningful conversation can be achieved by asking targeted questions, such as "Which constraint, if removed, would double output?"
Author's summary: Reading books changes conversation topics.
- Asking how incentives shape behavior
- Wondering which metrics create perverse side effects
- Looking for bottlenecks and feedback loops