There must be a catch somewhere in that one

In the post Recommending fiction by Norm. I mean, nothing Norm writes is simple. If one doesn't succeed to read between the lines, one is left, as usual, feeling that his foot is either in a trap or in one's own mouth. So how do I answer these two questions:

First, are readers of fiction, in fact and in general, better people than non-readers of fiction? Has anyone ever done research on or produced evidence of that? Those are not rhetorical questions.

As a person that shuns biographies, is scared by books titled "How to..." and is suspicious of the "General knowledge" section in a bookshop and, of course, counts self as a better type of people, how should I answer that?

Second, there's something horribly narrowing about recommending the reading of fiction because it's useful or improving. It's far more valuable and enjoyable than that.

At least that one was easy. Not only all of the above, but you can also read fiction while you smoke. In the bathroom, of course, where one is allowed to smoke.

Still I have a feeling of my own unwashed toes being too close to my face for comfort...