The Case for Fiction

In a world obsessed with productivity and non-fiction "self-help," reading novels can feel like a waste of time. It isn't.

Fiction increases empathy. When you read a novel, you simulate the experience of being another person. MRI scans show that reading descriptions of sensory experiences lights up the same areas of the brain as living them.

Reading fiction is not an escape from reality; it is a training ground for understanding the human condition.