Where technical reading gives us facts, fiction gives us perspective and tools to think clearly. The same goes for general knowledge: without it, we remain confined to a rigid way of thinking, unable to put ourselves in other people’s shoes.

I wondered if this was just a bias from reading too many novels & studying the humanities. So I looked into whether my intuition was grounded in actual research. Turns out, cognitive psychology has looked into exactly this.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have shown that reading fiction reduces the “need for cognitive closure.” Simply put, it’s that visceral urge to find a definitive, immediate answer to a problem, even if it means jumping to conclusions.

Following complex characters and navigating the ambiguity of a story trains our brain to tolerate uncertainty. Unlike a manual, fiction forces us to delay the moment we freeze our judgment. It gives us the time to consider multiple scenarios.

Immersing in imaginary worlds isn’t just entertainment. It’s a social simulator that makes us more agile & equipped to understand others. Study: Djikic et al. (2013), “Opening the Closed Mind: The Effect of Exposure to Literature on the Need for Closure.”