The Social Benefits of Reading Fiction Literature: an examination of the effects of reading fiction on theory of mind

Abstract

This study seeks to definitively establish a direction of causality between reading fiction and improvement in theory of mind. Two separate types of social cognition were analyzed: implicit theory of mind and emotional processing. 50 participants were tested on a battery of social cognitive tests before and after administration of a reading diet of fiction or nonfiction lasting four weeks. While results were not statistically significant they were trending in the hypothesized direction. Participants who read fiction for four weeks showed improvement on a test of implicit theory of mind. Interestingly, there were mixed results on tests of emotional processing with participants showing improvement on one task of emotional processing and deterioration on another. Although these results did not definitively establish a direction of causality, they suggest that there may indeed be a relationship between reading fiction and improvement in theory of mind.