Stylist

From today's Stylist:

"Even the longest journey can be transformed into a holiday in its own right with a great book. The pleasure that we extract from reading fiction has long fascinated psychologists. They postulate – although it is near-impossible to prove – that reading novels significantly improves a person’s capacity to navigate their social world, changing the way we see ourselves and helping us identify what we want from social interaction. Novels help us make sense of the world around us; they help us carve out our sense of right and wrong, they influence what we look for in our romantic relationships and they help us assess our life priorities."

I think this is definitely true. A lot of times after I've finished reading a book, its taken a while to revert to 'my' personality, rather than the character of the protagonist. Reading about situations you may never had experience of (and perhaps never will) allows you to consider how you would react, and how suitable you feel the character's reactions are. Reading fiction also introduces you to new people, some of whom can be more real to you than people you actually know. Having contact with different people, even if just through the removed medium of writing, gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate some of your assumptions, learn something new, and furthermore, discover what kind of a person you are.

Some books can change your life.