Living Through Fiction

By Kristi Spuhler for LitLovers.
We're sure you saw it—this photo we posted on Facebook a week or so ago. We found it funny because there's a grain of truth to it.

But it's probably more than "a grain" of truth: to be honest—just how much of our reading IS a way for us to ignore life?

You know—we pick up a book after a tough day to shrug off the stress. Or to beat the boredom during a mid-day slump. Maybe to put off chores...or simply to hide from a noisy world.

Of course, we tell ourselves—and everyone else—that our reading isn’t about escaping. No no! We're reading so we can understand the world around us.

And guess what? We're not just blowing hot air when we say that. A study published in the Journal of Science in October, 2013, found correlations between reading and an increase in emotional intelligence. Simply stated, reading helps us understand, and respond to, other’s feelings. (We blogged about this a good year ago. Take a peek here.)

But, okay, say we do read as escapism: even so...how often are we exposed to
♦ ideas we've long opposed but see there might be another side...
♦ troubled characters we come to care about...
♦ alien cultures we've gained some insight into?
An author’s vision can reveal the rich complexity of life—and yield up a new experience for the reader.

So even if we DO read to ignore life, we nonetheless end up engaging with it. WHY we read isn't as important as what we take away from it—which is an enlargement of our understanding and compassion.

So tell us—do you think reading has made a difference in how you understand and react to the world around you? We want to hear what you think!