Can Reading Literary Fiction Make You a Better Person?
The scientific answer is YES
Does what you read affect your personality?
When I was a kid, I remember going to the library and falling in love with a collection of books neatly lined up the shelf. They were all the same size with vivid-colored covers, and each told the story of a strong woman. I gobbled up the whole series, finding ferocity in the stories of Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Marie Curie, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Did reading those books when I was young make me braver, smarter, more diplomatic, more tolerant?
Did the fact that I read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries at every opportunity improve my deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills?
Did my sensitive heart and sentimental brain develop because I read stories about courageous people in dire situations around the globe?
The answer is “yes.”
Reading and “experience-taking”
Research is just beginning to show how reading books can affect our personality and behavior. Scientists call it, “experience-taking,” which means absorbing a little bit of a character from reading and then having your attitudes or behaviors unintentionally changed…
