The Benefits of Reading Narrative Fiction (Mar, Dunk & Shoemaker)

A review article by Raymond A. Mar, Rebecca J. Dunk and Lilly H. Shoemaker (York University, Psychology), Current Opinion in Psychology 73:102368 (2027 volume; online July 24, 2026), in a themed issue on the psychology of art. Open access, CC BY-NC-ND. Surfaced by @alexeixbt with the line that reading fiction is one of the most underrated tools for mental health.

What it covers

The question is whether it matters what we read — specifically whether narrative fiction (stories about people, their goals, emotions and interactions) carries benefits that expository nonfiction does not. Reviewing mostly recent research, the authors survey language ability, understanding others, early social development, intergroup prejudice, meaning in life, cognition, longevity and well-being, and conclude that, given the many benefits and few likely harms, promoting fiction among children and adults should be a high priority.

Findings from the opening section:

• Language. The amount of fiction read predicts verbal skill better than exposure to nonfiction, and fiction exposure uniquely explains links between reading attitudes and language proficiency.
• Social cognition. Imagining others’ experiences may hone empathy and perspective-taking; effects tend to come from habitual reading rather than a single story.
• Interventions. About 400 Spanish students given set-aside time for quiet fiction reading showed greater gains in emotional intelligence after two years than controls; a Swiss study of 10-year-olds discussing fiction found better social perspective-taking; a meta-analysis of 21 storybook studies (~2,000 children around age 6) found increased empathy, larger when children read alone.
• Who benefits most. A study of 14,000+ students found the largest social benefits of leisure reading among rural students with less-educated parents — though it did not separate fiction from nonfiction. Effects appear stronger for readers more “transported” into the narrative.

Connections

• i can’t emphasize this enough… (tweet) — where Kyle found it.
• Reading · Mental Health