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Nonfiction because: my faulty brain sometimes mistakes fiction for reality...
In this case, how do you know what is fiction (and therefore you shouldn't read it) and what is not (and therefore you should read it) ?
and cognitive economy - there is a finite amount of knowledge I can store, so I must be sure that it is accurate knowledge.
Can you elaborate ? I'm curious about the topic because I've heard this statement from several of my friends, but I can't quite wrap my head around it.
In the interests of full disclosure, I personally do read fiction: primarily because I find it enjoyable, but also because it sometimes enables me to communicate (and receive) ideas much more effectively than nonfiction (f.ex., HPMoR).
In this case, how do you know what is fiction (and therefore you shouldn't read it) and what is not (and therefore you should read it) ?
I look for background info on the piece I consider reading and read its abstract.
Can you elaborate ?
See the reply below. I'm not good at explaining this stuff.
Horace wrote that the purpose of literature is "to delight and instruct". It delights precisely because it's instructive and it's up to you to decide whether you only need precise information(nonfiction) or embedded information(fiction).