The Underrated Power of Reading Fiction

Why Regular Readers are Happier and Healthier

As a child, I was a voracious reader. I stayed up far too late reading every night and brought stacks of books on vacations. I devoured the entire Nancy Drew series, eagerly awaited the next Beverly Cleary book, and read every book by my favorite author - Judy Blume - multiple times (and thus was thrilled to have my photo taken with her at a book signing I attended a few years ago).

But these days, I struggle to find time - or rather to make time - for reading fiction.

I clearly need to try harder. Empirical scientific research reveals that reading is one of the simplest ways to increase happiness.

What’s so good about reading?

Studies show that reading helps us feel connected to other people—even feeling a connection to characters in a book creates a sense of belonging, an important component of happiness. Reading can increase positive feelings, especially if the book inspires you to think about your own life in a new way or to take action toward reaching your own goals.

Reading, especially fiction, can also improve our ability to empathize with someone else and thus improve our social skills. When we become absorbed in a novel, we imagine the world through the characters’ eyes, which increases our ability to take on someone else’s perspective in the real world.

This skill, in turn, may increase our ability to empathize with others and work through conflict. For example, fifth graders who read the Harry Potter series, which examines prejudice between wizards and nonwizards, become more empathic and less prejudiced toward people in stigmatized groups. “Fiction might be the mind’s flight simulator,” notes Keith Oatley, a psychologist at the University of Toronto.

Moreover, some evidence suggests that reading books may extend our lives. Researchers in one study compared three groups of people (all fifty and older).

Compared with people who didn’t read, those who read for up to 3.5 hours a week were 17% less likely to die over the 12-year follow-up period, and those who read more than 3.5 hours a week were 23% less likely to die during this period.

In fact, people who read books lived an average of almost two years longer than those who did not read at all.

What accounts for these remarkable findings? People who regularly read books - not newspapers or magazines - show higher levels of cognitive skills, including memory, critical thinking, and concentration. These abilities, in turn, likely provide a survival advantage.

So, here’s an easy way to increase happiness: find a book you find personally enjoyable (not a book you “should read”) and make a point of reading every day—a few minutes before bed, or on a lunch break, or during your daily commute on public transportation. It may even lengthen your life!

Now a couple of questions for you: How often do you make time for reading? And what are your favorite books (as I’m looking for recommendations)? Please share in the comments!