I recently ran across this article and thought it worth sharing. The link to it is beside the authors name. Three Cognitive Benefits of Reading Fiction by Jordan Bates link: refinethemind/three-cognitive-benefits-of-reading-fiction/ (read the whole article.) Recently, Noel Gallagher, the frontman of the band Oasis, (I didn’t know who he was either) lashed out against fiction, saying, “I only read factual books. I can’t think of … I mean, novels are just a waste of f–king time.” Though we’re all entitled to our opinions, I was perturbed to see such a complete and disrespectful dismissal of a pastime that has enriched the lives of countless humans for hundreds of years. I wondered how many others feel similarly. Coincidentally, I’d recently run across an article in the NYT that described a fascinating study published in the journal Science earlier this month. The study’s findings suggest that reading literary fiction is far from a “waste of f–king time”. I did a bit of digging and found several other studies with findings that likewise suggest cognitive benefits of reading great literature. This article will summarize those benefits and can also be seen as a triumphant “Ha!” in the face of Noel Gallagher and others who trivialize art-forms about which they know nothing. Okay, I’m sorry, I’m trying not to be too feisty. Without further adieu: 1. Improves social perception and emotional intelligence. This was the conclusion of the recent study that I mentioned above. In the study, participants’ social perception was tested after they were randomly assigned to read excerpts from either literary fiction, popular fiction, non-fiction, or nothing at all. One example of the type of test given was a “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test in which subjects looked at photographs of actors’ eyes and decided what emotion was being expressed. TO CONTINUE TO READ THIS ARTICLE FOLLOW THIS LINK: refinethemind/three-cognitive-benefits-of-reading-fiction/ (read the whole article.) P.S. Have you read any good fiction lately? Missed my post yesterday? Check it out below--10 Benefits for reading. Heres the link: lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-reading-why-you-should-read-everyday.html Also interested in Romance or Mystery? Heres the link to my books: amazon/Season-Magic-Holiday-Box-Set-ebook/dp/B00OZ136A6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419870971&sr=8-1&keywords=season+of+magic amazon/Marian-Lanouette/e/B0095YFGZ6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1419872410&sr=8-1 barnesandnoble/w/season-of-magic-merry-holly/1120929200?ean=2940150442801
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 16:55:02 +0000
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