A related topic that is oft discussed (and debated) is the user of ETTR (Exposing to the right). This is a technique wherein you purposely expose more towards the right so as to increase the effective dynamic range and ensure no content is lost in the shadows. The idea is to expose so that the histogram move further to the tight but without clipping. Here's a full explanation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposing_to_the_right

I don't always do this, but I will on occasion if I know I'm shooting something that has lots of shadows. Like I said, this is a topic of much debate on may forums.