Can Reading Fiction Actually Make You Happier?

Key points

Reading literary fiction increases empathy, a crucial social strength.

Reading literary fiction can lower physiological stress.

Reading expands our possibilities, strengthening our capacity for creative problem-solving.

During the pandemic, I provided counseling for several health care providers. These dedicated medical professionals faced overwhelming stress due to:

Patients dying at an increasingly higher rate.

Longer hours of work, changing work conditions, and schedule changes.

Significant risk of getting sick, and/or dying themselves.

Risk of spreading the disease to family members at risk.

My clients desperately needed stress-reduction tools to help them through a challenging time. One client, I’ll call Mary, worried that she might have to leave the nursing profes