> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bramadams.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Books are Best (Proven By Science!) - URL: https://www.bramadams.dev/books-are-best-proven-by-science/ - Published: 2025-02-08T23:07:13.000Z - Updated: 2025-02-08T23:29:23.000Z - Description: - - Author: Bram Adams - Tags: essays ## consumption tier list: looking at entire categories of ontological consumption aka media the core metric is the below criteria x the value received for time and effort given. go in w an open mind. **criteria:** 1. depth possible 2. breadth available 3. accessibility 4. flow state possible 5. async/sync 6. energy minimum to consume 7. attention required 8. roi 1. future earnings 2. eudaemonia (human flourishing) 3. good memory 4. learning 5. feeling of completion **contenders:** - books - movies - tv shows - live concerts - social media feeds - news/podcasts/radio - sitting and doing nothing (control) --- - books - 1\. yes -- deep topics of philosophy, history, sports, memoir... 250 pages on average per book. super deep dives. - 2\. yes – walk through the sections of any library. every human ontology exists in books. in fact we created an entire ontology around lying and called it fiction - 3\. library card/books online \~$10-20, can be an expensive hobby - 4\. yes, if book is compelling and challenging - 5\. async, you can read books from authors who died last millenia. insane value of voices from different languages/different cultures/the dead. - 6\. non passive -- you must turn pages and comprehend words in head - 7\. full attention – if half assed you're not really reading or even skimming (skimming well is a skill) - 8. - a. a good book can change your career opportunities ++ all college courses are foundationally built around the books assigned teamed up with the teacher - b. books (philosophy, classic) change lives consistently -- the intellectual life is honorable in and of itself, see the virgin mary or st augustine etc - c. yes, with services like ycb and readwise you can store your marginalia and highlights forever and connect them - d. see a and b - e. they call it closing a chapter on life for a reason... --- - movies - 1\. yes – art house movies exist – cinephiles perfect the form alongside their critics and actors - 2\. yes -- not as much as books. a younger medium and much more costly to produce, so less space for creativity thats not bankrolled - 3\. easier these days w streaming services -- but fragmented to get the best movies on each - 4\. similar to books a storyline can be extremely compelling - 5\. async, but less movies than books bc the art form is much younger. aka its harder to get movies outside of your time and place than books. - 6\. can be consumed passively – story is on a plate, often can be assessed deeper after by researching director - 7\. second screen possible so not that much (how many times do you see people at phones out at movies) - 8. - a. i think movies have helped me at social situations like dates, but the ideas in them rarely spark new outcomes - b. a good movie can change your life -- usually on an emotional rather than intellectual level - c. no, the movie capture for later reflection is draconic – nflx just added moments feature and files are so heavy, or you have to bootleg record on your phone. it sucks. - d. documentaries are good i guess? but ive literally never seen a documentary that teaches me more than a book. especially in modern era with docs all being aliens on history channel style - e. letterboxd do be going off fr --- - tv shows - *(im bored so im gonna zoom through rest of these)* - 1\. not these days, all good shows are cancelled constantly it fkn sucks - 6/7\. even less attention required than movies -- complete brain rot in many cases - 8. - b. a few golden eggs (hxh, breaking bad, the wire, etc.) amongst a sea of garbage (still much higher quality than social media). many tv shows treat viewers like idiots. - e. depends on if it gets cancelled or not... --- - live concerts - 2\. lotsa good stuff out there - 3\. lower than the others, but kind of the point - 5\. sync, but again, kind of the point - 7\. usually pretty engaging but i have fallen asleep at shows that havent hooked me. i usually last 30m or so before i get bored, but if i love the show, its a visceral experience. high variability. - 8. - a. negative, very expensive hobby - c. very high, very memorable - d. not usually – too much reliance on stimulants --- - social media feeds - 1\. absolutely fucking not. single punchline 60 second content or drawn out 15 minute video with two minutes of utility (a day in my life videos) - 2\. probably highest or competing with books for most breadth. a lot of people with cameras. demerits for the glut of internet comedians, im sick of all these comedians. - 3\. always a tap away - 6/7\. hyper passive brain rot, you know im right - 8. - b. unless you make content for social media, it is bad for your agency and dignity long term. the hours required, nothing gained. - c. i remember very little of what i consume. sub 10% perhaps? theres too much with no depth. - e. you are never done doom scrolling, there is no bottom --- - podcasts/radio - 4\. good while doing something else like chores or driving - 7\. bad proxy for reading books, i hate when people say audiobooks are just as memorable as reading, its not. (audiobooks are great, but are so easy to zone out during, dont lie to yourself) - 8\. - a. less than books, but higher than anything else on list - d. some long form conversations are genuinely a waste of two+ hours, others can be life changing. rng. --- - news - 1\. nope. more focused on being omnipresent than research - 2\. see above - 4\. a bad one of fear, yes - 7\. face.scared.exe (see 4) - 8. - a. sure if you trade stocks but by time its news its too late - b. absolutely fucking not no, every person i know who watches news constantly is miserable - e. 24 hour cycle so by definition, no --- - sitting and doing nothing (control) - 1\. very much so yes, if you let yourself get there - 2\. echo chamber literally - 3\. always available if you are willing to turn off distraction - 4\. yes, but youll likely fall asleep, sustained attention is difficult - 7\. high, its telling that its much higher than social media consumption. think about the ramifications of this - 8. - b. know thyself. nuff said - d. some lessons are only found in solitude - e. can go forever, will end up in recursive fever dream style hell at times tier list: s: books (best) a: sitting and doing nothing, movies (best), live shows (best) b: books (avg/worst) c: tv shows (best), live shows (avg/worst), podcasts (best) d: movies (avg, worst), news (best) e: also sitting and doing nothing (its both amazing and awful), tv shows (avg, worst) f: social media feeds, news (avg, worst), podcasts (avg/worst)