Great literature can transport us to times and places outside our own existence. As we turn each page, the characters and plots become more and more real to us. This experience of being immersed in a good book is more than entertaining; it also may enhance our real lives as social beings.
A number of scientific investigations support this contention. A review published in 2018 in the Journal Experimental Psychology: General analyzed 14 studies investigating how reading fiction impacted social skills compared to reading nonfiction or not reading at all. Most of the studies compared post-reading performance on standardized tests for parameters such as the ability to sense others’ emotions, judge their beliefs, take others’ perspectives and guess how people would react in different situations.
