Reading Fiction Can Change Your Brain

As both a bookworm and a fiction author, I’ve always recognized and appreciated the impact fiction has on our minds. When I was younger, and still to this day, I would lose myself for hours in novels.

In a previous article I wrote about narrative therapy, I mentioned how writing and reading fiction helps me empathize more with myself. 

“When we read fiction novels, we can often identify with certain parts of the main character or narrator and see their actions through the lens of empathy,” I wrote at the time.

Well, it turns out there’s actual science behind this notion.

According to Aditi Subramaniam, a neuroscience Ph.D., “research in neuroscience and psychology suggests … [that] fiction is not just a pastime—it is a fundamental way in which we learn, empathize, and make sense of the world.”

“Recent findings in cognitive neuroscience reveal that when we read fiction, our brains engage in a process strikingly similar to real-life experience,” Subramaniam continued. “Functional MRI studies show that the same neural circuits activated when we process real-world social interactions, emotions, and problem-solving are also engaged when we read about fictional events. For example, the brain’s mirror neuron system, which plays a key role in empathy, responds to characters’ experiences as if they were our own.”

So, while reading fiction might just seem like a hobby or a distraction from your real life, it can actually help you become a kinder, more emotionally intelligent person, depending on what you take away from the experience. 

Subramaniam also pointed out that many people view fiction as “less than” nonfiction when it comes to learning and growing as individuals. However, fiction has countless cognitive and emotional benefits. 

“Stories are not just diversions; they are blueprints for understanding ourselves and each other,” she said.

So, if you want to read that cheesy fiction novel instead of your dusty self-help book after a long and stressful day at work, don’t let anyone dissuade you from doing so.