A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology has revealed that avid readers have a small intellectual advantage compared to non-readers. The study found that reading novels, traditionally viewed as a leisure activity, has significant benefits for cognitive abilities.
The first meta-analysis examined 70 experimental studies where a randomized group read novels while the control group read non-fiction or engaged in other activities. The results showed that reading novels had a positive effect on intellectual abilities, particularly in empathy and theory of mind.
In a second meta-analysis, researchers analyzed the connection between lifelong reading habits and thinking skills. This analysis included 114 studies with 30,000 participants and found that readers were stronger in linguistic skills and general intellectual abilities such as reasoning, abstract thinking, and problem-solving. Readers of novels performed better than non-fiction readers in these skills as well. However, the study did not establish a causal connection between reading novels and intelligence.
Researcher Lena Wimmer from the German Julius Maximilian University emphasized the importance of longitudinal research to confirm any causal connections between reading and cognitive abilities. Overall, these studies highlight the benefits of reading novels for improving empathy, theory of mind, linguistic skills, and general intellectual abilities.
