Researchers at Dartmouth and Ohio State universities suggest that reading fiction can actually make you better people, expplaining that more you identify with fictional characters on the page, the more you will try to act like them. The researchers also coined a term to explain this: "experience taking," which is:

"...spontaneously assuming the identity of a character in a narrative and simulating that character's thoughts, emotions, behaviors, goals, and traits as if they were one's own."

So, what does all this mean for readers in general?

Well, first off you should probably decide whether you want your reading to be an immersive experience where you lose yourself. If you don't, you should probably read lots of novels in first person about people who do not share your gender, race or sexual orientation.

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