If you are fond of fiction books, you must know that these genres have the potency to make you a better person. In fact, according to research at Princeton Social Neuroscience Lab, psychologist Diana Tamir has identified that fiction book readers are likely to have good social cognition. They are skillful enough to find out exactly what people are thinking and feeling.
Moreover, it further helps to work on other critical areas and makes you a better person. Let’s find out how:
Fiction Books Boost Empathy
Fiction story reading is where we put someone else’s shoes and understand their struggles. Let’s say you are reading a scene featuring someone’s loss, you transport your own self to their mind and comprehend the situation that they might be facing. It helps you to explore situations that are different from your own. Eventually, you can relate to your character.
According to psychologist William Chopik at the University of Michigan, fiction stories expose people to uncomfortable ideas and offer “the opportunity to take other peoples’ perspectives in a safe, distanced way. In that way, fiction serves as a playground for exercising empathic skills.”
Promotes Open Mindedness
Fiction books also stimulate open-mindedness and develop the way you think/act in situations. It promotes mindfulness and makes you more alert about people’s emotions. You become more flexible and clear while comprehending someone’s life experiences and journey. Rather than judging them, you acknowledge and discern their struggles.
Experience Taking
Books have incredible effects on your personality and behavior. It promotes experience-taking, which adds a little bit of character to your overall behavior.
You must have faced this while reading a fictional book. Once you start reading and exploring the main character, you start finding a little bit of them in your own self. You start connecting with the character and transform your perceptions to be a better person.
Promotes Creativity
Besides being a better person, reading fiction also boosts your skills, resulting in a great personality. Speaking of which, reading fiction promotes good creativity skills and entices your brain to come up with new and fresh ideas. It further expands your knowledge and promotes innovation in your day-to-day decision-making.
A study on the relationship of creative thinking to reading and writing, conducted by the National Taichung University of Education, states that students who spent more time on reading/writing did significantly well in the creativity test. So, if you read fiction books that stimulate ideas and fantasies, it can definitely open the doors to your innovative side in the long term.
Improves Focus
Fiction books can improve your specific brain connectivity and help you stay focused in life. It helps to stay aligned with the story/plot of the book and keeps you immersed in all the fine detailing. This, as a result, boosts focus, causing a one-pointed mind approach and helping to achieve better relationships with loved ones.
These were some of the benefits of reading fiction books and how they can make you a better person. Which fiction book are you reading lately? Let us know in the comments.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.
