Pick Up a Good Book—for Your Health

This is something I’ve long believed, and now Inc. magazine declares it to be true: “Reading fiction can help you be more open-minded and creative. According to research conducted at the University of Toronto, study participants who read short-story fiction experienced far less need for ‘cognitive closure’ compared with counterparts who read non-fiction essays. Essentially, they tested as more open-minded, compared with the readers of essays. ‘Although non-fiction reading allows students to learn the subject matter, it may not always help them in thinking about it,’ the authors write.”

Science shows, too, that “People who read books live longer.”