Why fiction really IS good for you

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By David Rothman

"Through a series of studies, we have discovered that fiction at its best isn’t just enjoyable. It measurably enhances our abilities to empathize with other people and connect with something larger than ourselves." – Keith Oatley, novelist and psychologist—writing in Greater Good Magazine (via Readerville).

The TeleRead take: So what about distinctions within fiction? Will a Tom Clancy novel improve you as much as, say, one by Philip Roth? Of course, I’d hope that people wouldn’t read fiction just for improvement, but also for sheer enjoyment. Meanwhile here’s one issue I’d hope wouldn’t come up—e-book vs. p-books, in terms of self-improvement. Text is text.

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