Reading Fiction Makes You Happier and More Successful

The pings and constant beeps of our cell phones have replaced folded page marks on our books that we used to turn to regularly throughout the day. Our digital devices have overshadowed the books and our love for the smell of fresh parchment and now they seem a thing of the past. But there is still hope left.

Generally, when people want to polish up a certain skill, become more productive, get some sleep or when they need help with a workplace affair, they turn to self help books and how-to’s to navigate through their problems. Though that is one way to handle a problem, but reading about your predicament and dealing with it are actually two different things. The how-to guide can tell you the tips to go into a deep sleep but it won’t make you fall asleep.

Newsflash, there’s actually a way to solve most mundane problems in your life that are plaguing you. Instead of turning towards the how-to guides, a better alternative is to read fiction. By immersing yourself in other worlds with other characters can actually help you cope up with a lot that is going on in your life.

Yes, the title of this article is not self-proclaimed. It is actually backed up by neuroscience and various studies done to observe the link between the brain and the words we read. As this article will continue, we will enlighten you with the many ways that reading fiction can help you become more accomplished and happier.

Empathy

Imagination powers your understanding and allows you to relate well with others. Nothing grows the capacity of a person to put himself in someone else’s place than reading fiction. Stories allow you to build an active imagination and make it easier for you to see the world from a new perspective to better understand other people’s behavior.

Researchers found a significant overlap in the brain’s neural networks used to grasp stories and those used to interact with other individuals. This is simple to explain. When we read about other people’s lives and their relationships, it is as if we are feeling it ourselves.

Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis are reported to have scanned brains of fiction readers. They found out that the subjects created intense, graphical and mental simulations of all the senses they read in the narrative. Actually, their brains reacted as if they were living those moments themselves.

Disengagement: Ultimate Stress Relief

Reading reduces stress more effectively than any other tried method. Your brain cannot perform at its maximum capacity non-stop 24/7. The same goes for high-end computers or even racing cars. All machineries need a break. And reading fiction is the perfect break that disengages the mind and the body.

In those few minutes when you read a story, you forget about your day’s activities while you lose yourself in a parallel universe and get involved with the story of those characters. It creates effects similar to that of meditation and puts your brain in another gear. Your brain is in a pleasurable trance-like state and the health benefits you reap are the same you get from prolonged relaxation and inner peace.

It is shown that people who read, they sleep better, have higher self esteem, lower stress levels and lower tendency to get depressed than those who are not habitual readers.

A research carried out in the University of Sussex by Dr. David Lewis shows that reading the most effective way of relieving stress surpassing even listening to music, walking, or a cup of tea or coffee. Subjects were instructed to read slowly for six minutes to ease the tension in muscles and to lower the heart rate. His team showed that reading reduced stress levels by 68%. Comparatively, listening to music lowered the level by 61%, a cup of tea or coffee were effective to lower the stress levels by 54% and those who took a walk had their level reduced by 42%. Playing video games brought the levels down by 21% only.

Hence, it was concluded that reading is the ultimate retreat if you need to seriously relax and unwind. Losing yourself in a book is the best place you can escape to.

Good Sleep

Whoever is working in the fast lane will be more than familiar with sleeping problems and they most probably go through troubled sleep too. Try reading. By reading, we do not imply articles on insomnia. Give fiction a chance. The kind of relaxed disengagement reading creates, is enough to carry you to sleep. The perfect environment fiction creates, helps you to disengage from your work and ease up.

If you have trouble sleeping, then create a sleep ritual with a fiction novel. Fix your last activity of the day to be something that completely releases you from the shackles of your day’s work. Avoid reading non-fiction and self help books. These project planning into the future and reinforce worries rather than eliminating them.

Stronger Relationships

Books simulate reality. Books are playgrounds for readers to test possible outcomes for different scenarios. In the real world, nothing is perfect. Mistakes happen and relationships fall apart. Often interpersonal interactions present us with challenges that have no simple solution.

People who read are more accepting of these complex emotions than those who don’t. reading fiction, particularly science fiction, helps the person to come to terms with change. It helps people grapple with the fact that whatever happens, one can navigate through it and survive.

A professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto has likened the minds of readers to a simulation playground. Just like computer simulations that can test run prototypes before they are actually launched, a reader can weigh different directions of a challenge in his mind before pursuing one. Reading actually helps the individual to get a grip on their current problems and enhances their ability of solving them objectively.

Improved Memory

You might have already guessed this one. Readers have a better memory down the lane than non-readers. People who read have a slower memory decline rate as compared to those who do not. Additionally, people who develop a reading habit later in life have a 32% lower rate of memory degradation when compared with their non-reader counterparts.

But the benefits do not end here. In addition to memory itself, memory-related diseases like Alzheimer’s exhibit its characteristics less in readers than in non-readers according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Open mindedness

A study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology tested the idea whether Harry Potter novels can make readers more tolerant and accepting of stigmatized groups. The result was yes. The novel can be used as a tool for improving attitude towards the minority groups.

Three experiments were conducted in which the students were instructed to read paragraph from the book that talked about discrimination. These students showed positive behavior towards marginalized strata of the society from immigrants to gay students.

Young children, with the help of their mentors, were able to understand that Harry’s support for “mudbloods” points towards racism in real life situation and that it is a negative phenomenon.

It was thus established that books could broaden minds to accept ideas and break stereotypes.

Vocabulary

This one is a no-brainer. We all want to be heard and expressed. We are all in want of a vocabulary that can connect us with others better. Fiction reading can help a person achieve that. A study conducted by Emory University analyzed the brains of people who read and those of non-readers.

Readers’ brains showed more neural activity than their counterparts. In particular, the left temporal cortex, which is the part of the brain associated with language understanding, exhibited more activity.

The more you read, the more synapses are created in your brain. Synapses are neural interactions that make up a thought process. Non fiction write-ups do not have an extensive vocabulary. In contrast, fiction books, with their exquisite details have a rich vocabulary that benefits its readers.

Creativity Unleashed

Fiction is a playground where anything is possible. In movies, we long for a happy ending. A study shows that people who are avid fiction readers have less need for closures than those who do not read. Fiction readers are better equipped to handle changing circumstances and are more creative and improvising.

The findings concluded that fictional literature leads to greater emotional stability and generally equips the reader to process information in a better way and that includes creativity as well.

You will find readers to be better story tellers than their counterparts.

The Pleasure is all yours

People read for pleasure. Even when they don’t, it ultimately leads to pleasure. A survey conducted with 1,500 adult readers as sample size concluded that 76% of them testified to the fact that reading makes them happier and has improved their outlook on life.

Other results drawn from the survey pointed out that people who read on a regular basis are happier on average, more satisfied and content with their lives and they believe that what they do is worthwhile.

With the advent of internet and a plethora of attention zapping devices, it is surprising to note that reading for pleasure has relatively remained unperturbed and stable.

Brainpower

Reading makes you smart. No matter what kind of genre you read, you will always have an edge over non readers even when it comes to academics. Those who read get higher GPAs, have a high IQ, more intelligence and are generally sharper on the edges than those who do not read.

Greater Tranquility

In a fast paced world, reading is the only activity that shifts things into perspective. As seconds fly by, the few hours you spend reading are the ones that actually bring everything to a standstill as you kick back and relax in another world.

Fiction reading, with its compelling story telling can grasp the reader to the end and keep them engaged. Once you are out of the story, you feel more at ease and tranquil than ever before. And this refreshes you to face another day with its own set of challenges.

Polished Writing Skills

Reading and writing goes hand in hand. If you are an avid fiction reader, chances are you are great story teller/ writer as well. With a high vocabulary, powered imagination and creativity sparks, you can narrate and compose compelling stories that can connect with your audience well.

The more you read, the better the writer you become and you master the skill of non-verbal communication.

Helps with goal planning

Reading helps to prioritize goals. How, you may ask. When reading gives you a break from work, it encourages your mind to wander and it will dwell in places where it would really like to be. This way you can figure out which direction you want your life to take. Reading gives you clarity to decide and ability to prioritize your goals so you can be where you want to be in your life.

Fiction reading is undeniably the best past time a person can have. It is proven to be more constructive and productive than self help books and how to guides as it grooms your personality subconsciously. Equipped with all the skills that reading can inculcate in its followers, it can make you a better person. You will do better not just mentally but also socially with your honed interpersonal skills.

There is a therapy called “bibliotherapy” that is associated with fiction reading. In this, a person reads passages from a literature novel or poetry to heal. It uses an individual’s relationship with words and contents of books in order to trigger healing.

With a wide variety of super benefits that come as a package deal with fiction reading, it will be unwise not to devote at least an hour or thirty minutes of your time to read a fiction book. Pick any story that draws your attention and watch it enthrall you as you begin reading and soon you will be taking your books to washroom trips as well as is the case with fiction fans.

Nonetheless, it makes for a great activity that should be encouraged in both adults and children.