A lot of my time is spent reading (and for purposes of this post, I am including listening to audio books as “reading” since the mental functions are much the same). Fiction, non-fiction, news, politics, various theoretical things make up most of the material I consume, but I find that my favorite material is fiction, usually novels, but sometimes short story collections. The other day I began to wonder what it was about fiction that drew me so strongly. The quick answer was escape. When I enter the fictional world of a book, I completely disappear from the real world and its stresses. Then, of course, there is the pleasure of reading fiction; it just makes the day better.

I began to wonder if there were other benefits to be derived from reading fiction, so I did a bit of research. I found that there are a number of benefits to reading fiction. Here they are in no particular order, beginning with the two I have already mentioned:

• Pleasure is on lots of lists. 76% of adult readers in the UK said that reading “improves their life and helps make the feel good.”
• Disengagement also makes a number of lists. Reading fiction is considered “one of the most effective ways to decompress and relax.”
• Reading fiction helps us “develop empathy and understanding.” Fiction presents us with thoughts, emotions, and lives of character who are different from us, so we develop a different perspective and greater empathy for differing people.
• Increased creativity can result from reading fiction. Fiction often presents us with new ideas and new ways of thinking. It also encourages us to think outside the box.
• Reading fiction provides us with cognitive stimulation. It engages the brain in “complex processes such as interpreting symbolism, understanding character motivations and following intricate plotlines,” improving critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Improved memory is one of the benefits of reading fiction. People who read fiction have less mental decline in later life.
• Fiction simulates reality, so reading fiction can substitute for accumulating valuable life experience to a certain degree
• Reading fiction improves the imagination. Readers must imagine the appearance of characters and locations as well as movement and emotional states.
• Because fiction presents the reader with new words and phrases, it is likely that reading fiction will enhance the reader’s vocabulary and language skills.
• Reading fiction improves our emotional intelligence and open-mindedness. Thus those who read fiction are better able to relate to others and understand their own emotions.
• Since reading fiction requires sustained attention and concentration, it can help the reader’s ability to focus on tasks in other areas of life.
• Reading fiction, particularly good fiction, can help make the reader a better writer since it provides an example of what good writing is.
• Reading fiction provides mental health benefits, including anxiety and depression relief as well as enhanced self-esteem.
• Reading fiction helps us sleep better. It turns out that “regular readers actually sleep better.”
• Reading fiction even helps us live longer.

And this list is not exhaustive; there are other benefits. These, however, are the primary ones. What is obvious is that there are a great number of benefits to reading fiction, so, perhaps, if you are not currently a regular fiction reader, you might consider it.