A good book can change your life, but it can also improve your health.

boy standing on the opened book and looking at other books floating in the air, digital art style, illustration painting — Shutterstock by Tithi Luadthong

This article includes affiliate links. If you purchase through an affiliate link, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases.

Once upon a time …

woman reading next to river, under a tree — Photo by Nguyen Thu Hoai on Unsplash

We see those words and know it’s time to settle in for a story. Stories take us to far-off places, or they can make the familiar world seem strange and new. But while we are mentally journeying through those worlds, the act of reading them is improving our mental and physical wellbeing.

Scientists have found that the act of reading literally changes our brain. A 2015 study found that young readers had different cortical volumes and rates of brain maturation versus other children.

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”

- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

The idea that a good book can transport our minds off the page is more accurate than we think. For all readers, the action of reading stimulates areas of the brain known for comprehension and language. But reading fiction, in particular, lights up certain areas.

Stories stimulate some of the same regions of the brain that are activated when we perform or observe an event in real life. When we feel that we are mentally being whisked away to fantasy land, parts of our brains are reacting as if we actually are.

Reading stories has also been shown to produce changes in the somatosensory complex part of the brain. This region is connected to physical sensations such as pain and movement. The observed change lasted several days after the completion of the book. If you have ever felt like a good book stuck with you after you finished it, this may be the reason why.

Reading has also been reported to reduce our overall stress and lower our heart rates. One study found that readers had a 68% drop in stress rates and reading was more effective than listening to music, having a cup of tea, or taking a walk. A similar study found that reading for pleasure was as effective as yoga for dropping stress among college students.

“Children know perfectly well that unicorns aren’t real, but they also know that books about unicorns, if they are good books, are true books.”

– Ursula K. Le Guin

Reading may even contribute to a longer lifespan. A 2016 study found that book readers had a life expectancy of almost 2 years longer when compared to their non-reading peers. This was regardless of gender, wealth, education, or general health. While newspapers and magazines gave some benefits, the consumption of books and novels had the most significant impact.

But for its physical benefits, some of the greatest positive impacts from reading are on our mental health.

Reading helps us to tune out distractions and immerse ourselves in the story. Like meditation, this learned ability to focus, and concentrate carries over to other tasks in our lives as well.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

- Dr. Seuss

Fiction also helps us to become more adaptable. As the story develops and changes, our minds are continually updating their mental simulation of the events. We visualize the different scenarios and continually change and accept the unfolding of the story’s events.

Even when a book challenges our fixed way of thinking, our mind still creates its idea. Without our awareness, our brains are reappraising and may become accepting of this different way of thinking. A 2015 study by University of Liverpool, suggested the fictional reading is related to “increased flexibility of meaning, awareness of change, and an enhanced capacity to reason about events.”

For example, reading a science fiction novel and imaging a not-too-distant Earth could make us more adaptable and better able to change and adjust to our existing modern world of rapidly changing technology.

Reading fiction increases our empathy for others. Our minds are playing out the events and reacting to the different scenarios, but it’s the characters’ lives that we are responding to. Gaining insights and imagining ourselves as them, we have more understanding for those people in our real lives as well.

“I think books are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them.”

- Emma Thompson

And while non-fiction allows us to imagine far-off places and ideas similarly, it lacks the story elements and imagination of fiction. A 2016 study did not see the same increases in empathy among non-fiction readers as those reading fiction books. (Check out 30 Fantasy Authors that Still Inspire for some self-care storytime)

With this increase of empathy, fiction novels can break down stigma and stereotypes. Getting into the mind of a character that is different from us allows us to understand better, which can help us be more accepting in the real world.

Fiction also allows us to deal with dark subjects such as addition or assault that may be too painful to approach. There have been suggestions to address bullying in high school and college through literature to evoke empathy and help victims.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

– Coraline, Neil Gaiman

This empathy can be directed inward as well. One of the worst parts of mental illness is feeling alone. Reading about a character that is similarly going through addiction, depression, etc., can help us feel understood and heard.

Stories with happy endings can also help those with depression by showing hope and possibility where we may have felt there were none.

Stories can also give us a sense of order and comfort. As the story progress, we follow along and see all the plot pieces fall into place at the ending. This structure and sense of meaning help us to better deal with the more chaotic part of our lives.

There is also comfort in a story. Re-reading a favorite book or returning to a beloved character can feel like visiting an old friend. A familiar genre or knowing that everything will work out somehow, in the end, can give us a piece of mind.

“Some books leave us free and some books make us free.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

2020 found that 35% more people were reading worldwide than that year before. In the world of COVID, many of us have turned to find comfort in a book.

And lastly, reading transforms us. As we relive stories, become friends with the characters, and our brains fire off as if we were the ones in the world next to them, we change. Participants in a 2009 study reported changes in personality traits influenced by reading.

There is a saying that a good book can change your life. But it’s not just the story. The very act of reading it changes your mind and health. Perhaps, becoming the best version of yourself is about writing your own story and reading a good book.

“But that is the beginning of a new story - the story of the gradual renewal of a man, the story of his gradual regeneration, of his passing from one world into another, of his initiation into a new unknown life. That might be the subject of a new story, but our present story is ended.”

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Author:

Laurie Trueblood is a writer and life coach that enjoys fantasy, science, psychology, and everything nerdy. As the founder of Adventures to Authenticity, her mission is to help others level up and become the best versions of themselves.

Read more about self-care and books to inspire: The Art of Living Authentically and 30 Fantasy Authors That Still Inspire

Why Reading Stories is Good for Your Health