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Why reading fiction is good for your brain

Shoppers browse among the narrow rows of books at The Book Loft of German Village in Columbus, Ohio. (Jonathan Elderfield/AP)
Jonathan Elderfield/AP
Shoppers browse among the narrow rows of books at The Book Loft of German Village in Columbus, Ohio. (Jonathan Elderfield/AP)

It might not come as a surprise that reading is good for you. But reading fiction may have additional benefits for our social skills and ability to empathize with others.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Raymond Mar, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at York University, who has studied the benefits of reading fiction on brain health for two decades.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR