Saturday, September 14, 2013

New Study Shows That Reading Novels Makes Us Better Thinkers!

I came across another wonderful news article published on the Salon's website earlier this year titled Study: Reading novels makes us better thinkers by Tom Jacob. 

I love it when I come across published articles showing proof that reading novels makes people better thinkers!!
 

In his article Tom Jacob writes:
Are you uncomfortable with ambiguity? It’s a common condition, but a highly problematic one. The compulsion to quell that unease can inspire snap judgments, rigid thinking, and bad decision-making.

Fortunately, new research suggests a simple anecdote for this affliction: Read more literary fiction.

A trio of University of Toronto scholars, led by psychologist Maja Djikic, report that people who have just read a short story have less need for what psychologists call “cognitive closure.” Compared with peers who have just read an essay, they expressed more comfort with disorder and uncertainty—attitudes that allow for both sophisticated thinking and greater creativity.

“Exposure to literature,” the researchers write in the Creativity Research Journal, “may offer a (way for people) to become more likely to open their minds.”
Pretty cool stuff, right? Click on the top link to read more about the study done at the University of Toronto demonstrating!

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