Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

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What do you find in a great book? Some may say adventure and mysticism, while others say cold hard facts. But what is the emotional benefit of reading fiction or nonfiction?
In an article by Matthew Flax of the South African College of Applied Psychology (July 2020), he informs the masses that reading makes us more empathetic. He notes that “one study found that literary fiction...increases our ability to feel empathy for others. Participants were given either literary fiction or nonfiction reading material and once done, they were given an empathy test. Those who read literary fiction proved to have the most empathetic response.”
Now for some of you logic-smart students, you may be impressed by this information, but let me clear it up for those who identify better on the less factual side. A quote from Keith Oatley, Psychology professor at the University of Toronto, states, “A piece of fiction...is a piece of consciousness being passed from mind to mind. When you're reading, you're taking in a piece of consciousness that you make your own.”
This isn't to say there aren't benefits to reading nonfiction. As Kavya Kothiyal explains, “One understands the reality after reading nonfiction. While fiction sometimes takes you to the imaginative world, nonfiction unfolds the reality you get to know real people and their lives.” A more logical benefit can be offered up as well, since she also says, “Nonfiction expands the reader's horizon. It makes one smarter to understand real life concepts.” (shethepeople.tv)
As you can see, reading is bursting with benefits to make you, as the reader, a better person-whether it's fiction or nonfiction! So go pick up a good book and read yourself to success!