Have you ever wondered if there were any benefits of reading fiction? Everyone always says to read nonfiction if you’re wanting to grow and actually learn something. But can you actually learn something from reading fiction? I know this is something a lot of people question or they don’t really care enough to change things up a bit. But even if it’s something you never really thought about before there are a ton of benefits to reading fiction.
So, why is there an importance of reading fiction? In this post, I’m going to talk about the benefits of reading fiction and why those who don’t read it should probably consider it.
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What is fiction?
So, what exactly is fiction? Fiction is a type of book that really isn’t set out to help you with anything. It’s not set out to motivate you or really give you any insight. Usually, the story takes place in a made-up world, and characters are made up as well. Or the story is based on a real event but with different character names and the events are changed around some.
I know describing what fiction is, sounds kind of contradictory to the benefits of reading fiction. Why read fiction if it’s not really set out to help you? Next, I’m talking about what the benefits of reading fiction actually are.
Benefits of reading fiction
Like I said in the last section when describing what fiction is I kind of contradicted myself when it comes to the benefits of reading fiction. But trust me even though fiction doesn’t actually set out to teach you anything there is a ton you can actually learn from them or benefit from them. So here are the benefits of reading fiction.
Creativity
I know there might be some who don’t really care about the creativity aspect of reading fiction. That’s okay but I know there are a lot of people who read fiction and are creative as well. That includes me. Usually, as I’m reading fiction books they usually give me ideas of what I could potentially write about. I don’t know how many times something happens in a book (but isn’t the main focus of that book) that I can expand on and create a whole book about. I can’t even begin to explain how much I love it when an idea comes to me when I’m reading someone’s book. Don’t get me wrong though I don’t completely copy the author’s book. It’s just a small idea that turns into a big idea.
I think the benefits of reading fiction can help those who are artists as well. Reading fiction can give you ideas of people to draw, worlds, and animals or creatures. Sometimes artists just run out of ideas and reading can be one of those things that can help inspire you.
Empathy
I feel like most nonfiction books don’t really deal with making you empathize. There are a few books that do but I feel like fictional books do a better job when it comes to making you feel for the character. I know you’re probably asking how do fictional books make you empathize when it doesn’t even follow a real person. You should empathize with real people not fake.
I know people question this but trust me fiction books do help you with empathy. You become so invested in the book and with the main character that you don’t really want anything to happen to them. Sometimes that empathy transfers to those you grow close to in real life and potentially strangers.
Disengagement (stress)
Disengagement is the reason I like to read nonfiction. It has gotten worse with covid but I have a tendency to stress out a lot and books are my way of escaping. A lot of others use this method in movies and video games. This is why I love to read. It’s a healthy way to escape without potentially doing something dangerous.
Inclusivity
So inclusivity is something that still needs some work in the book community but it’s getting there. When you’re reading books from the POV of someone with a different skin tone it helps you see their side on things. Reading books that include someone with a disability will help out a lot as well. This will only work if you actually read books that have someone different than you. But I love the idea that reading books can open your eyes to the life of others. This actually helps with empathy as well and can help you get on others’ level and feel what they are feeling.
Like I said this is something that needs a little more work with all races and all disabilities but I can’t wait to see that happen. I would love kids and teens to have more representation in all media.
Vocabulary
I know nonfiction books can help with your vocabulary as well, but why not read for fun and learn new words at the same time? At least that’s the way I look at it. I would rather read something that would keep my interest and learn new words at the same time.
I’m not really sure if many readers consider this but it’s a perk of reading anything!
Pleasure
Sometimes reading fiction is a lot more pleasurable than reading nonfiction. At least it is more pleasurable to me. I do read some nonfiction books but pleasure kind of ties in with disengagement. Escaping is a way of pleasure for me. It’s a way for me to escape the stress and live someone else’s life. To me, it’s fun to read about others’ adventures and some of the scary things that they go through. For me, I don’t get that enjoyment from nonfiction books.
Disadvantages of reading fiction
The only disadvantage of reading fiction that I can think of is what I had mentioned earlier. But that’s something I wouldn’t let stop you from reading the books that you really want to read.
Doesn’t give factual or insightful info like non-fiction
The only disadvantage of reading fiction is the fact that it doesn’t give factual insightful information like nonfiction. It’s always great to learn new things no matter what your age is. And that is why I suggest reading a mixture of reading nonfiction books and fiction books. Both can really help in different ways and I love that.
So, why do you read fiction books? Let me know in the comments some of the benefits of fiction that I may have missed! I’m sure there are a few that I didn’t think of.
If you are interested in reading some fiction books then you may be interested in:
Horror books for middle schoolers
