Could you date someone who doesn't read?

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Natalie Charlene
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Re: Could you date someone who doesn't read?

Post by Natalie Charlene »

i have dated non-readers in the past, and it didn't bother me as much as I would have thought. I have plenty of friends and family who love reading, and I am able to discuss books with them. For me, it also depends on my significant other's hobbies. I had an ex who played videos games, and we would hang out while he played and I read, and it worked out smoothly.

That being said, I would prefer to date someone who did read, or at least had an interest in reading. If I get excited about some new book I have read, I would want them to have some interest in finding out more about it. And vice versa; I always love getting great book recommendations, and having a partner that reads is a great source!
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Philip LoPresti
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Post by Philip LoPresti »

I actually married someone who didn’t read! My wife would read magazines from time to time, but she avoided books like the plague. Luckily we had lots of other things in common, but her not reading books did kind of bother me.
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Post by Nora_khan27 »

I don't know yet.
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Seamstress
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Post by Seamstress »

Difficult question. It woud have been so much easier to answer if love for written word was single all-redeeming quality in person, but as it is there aremany other things that could induce potential partner to you.
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cmabramo
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Post by cmabramo »

My boyfriend doesn't read. I suppose it bugs me a little since he is more of a TV person and I don't like the TV on while I read haha. Overall it doesn't really impact our relationship though. He isn't some shallow idiot that can't focus long enough or think deeply enough to make it through a book. Reading just isn't something he enjoys. He has his own passions that he excels at and is honestly one of the smartest people I know. He reads when it pertains to something he's learning, especially when it comes to advancing his hobbies/passions, but he wouldn't read for fun. I can relate to what others have said about not being able to be with someone who is basically shallow and not very intelligent but thankfully that isn't the case in my relationship!
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samuel kar
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Post by samuel kar »

Some people prefer Dvd's to books due to their busy day in day out schedule yet they argue better and make up romantic couples, so I would not mind dating a non reader
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Lee-Ann20
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Post by Lee-Ann20 »

I'm currently in a relationship with a non-reader, but he is very creative in other areas. He's a musician who writes his own songs, so conversations are still very intellectually stimulating.
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dreamthewilderness
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Post by dreamthewilderness »

I could, but I suspect the relationship might not last very long or reach much depth, unless we had some other significant commonality between us.
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Post by becsimpson »

Yeah, I could, cause my main hobby is music and that’s what most of my friends are into. The majority of the people I associate with aren’t massive readers
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Zora C Penter
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Post by Zora C Penter »

In some ways, this question is a Catch-22 for me. I do think I could date someone who does not read as long as they understand that I do. However, I could not date someone that does not display an adequate amount of intelligence.

And, most intelligent people seem to read.
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Post by jahagen »

I didn't think I would be able to date a non-reader, but I currently am. It is sometimes difficult as I really like to talk about the books I'm reading, preferably with others who have read it, and since he doesn't read I can't do that with him. But, I still have plenty of others to discuss my books with, and while my boyfriend doesn't read, he is a gamer so we work well together with my sitting next to him reading while he games. It's a system that we have discovered works really well. And, fortunately, he is not a shallow person but rather someone who is vastly intelligent so we do still have wonderful conversations.
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Erika Thomas
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Post by Erika Thomas »

I have certainly tried dating people who choose to not read, but I don't end up staying with them. Reading and writing are such big parts of my life that I really despise not being able to share that enthusiasm and have it reciprocated with my partner.
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Erika Thomas
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Post by Erika Thomas »

knightss wrote: 09 Jan 2007, 15:18 mm i think i could but they'd have to understand that i enjoy reading and that i read in my spare time. there are more things that can be discussed than just books. this is kind of hypocritical though because most of the people i choose to associate with read books and are able to hold better conversations than "how was your day?" and "did you see such-and-such tv show last night".. intellectual conversations are much better than mindless dribble.
I agree that intellectual conversation is better than mindless dribble, wholeheartedly. I do recognize that that type of conversation doesn't have to stem from reading, but a large portion of the knowledge and information I bring to those sorts of conversations do come from reading. I recognize my own limitations in that, and that I could easily find other topics that can lead to deep, meaningful conversation, but I prefer reading. So while I agree that intellectual conversation is better, and understand that there is a lot of intellectual conversation to be had, I personally cannot hold a lot of other conversations besides about books. Therefore, I believe I would need to date a reader as opposed to a non-reader.
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harumira
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Post by harumira »

My fiance doesn't really read books although he has read a few books he loves when he was younger.

I don't mind because not all of our interests have to match and we do have a lot of common interests.

He doesn't mind me reading and he doesn't mind me talking about books. He's a very intelligent person so I can still have good talks with him.
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chironwolf52
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Post by chironwolf52 »

I don't think so. :techie-studyingbrown: I would prefer dating someone who chooses to read. If a person chooses not to read, then my first question to him would be "where do you get your information? How do you know what you know?" A person relying on social media or general media or even his social network for his information is questionable. Reading requires the use of a part of the brain that is not used otherwise. It develops the imagination and sharpens critical thinking and exposes you to a wide and interesting world.
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