A Double Dose of Belonging
Posted by: Neil Hollands
A new study that is scheduled to appear in the journal Psychological Science found that reading about a fictional community gives readers a sense of connection to that community, satisfying a crucial psychological need for belonging that improves well-being. The effect is especially strong in individuals who are more socially oriented in their everyday lives.
So when you visit your book group you’ll not only enjoy the community of your friends in the group, you’ll get a second dose of life satisfaction and mood enhancement from your connection to the characters in the book. To your health!
April 28th, 2011 at 9:29 am
I don’t usually click on comments, but I did on this one because as a writer I was immediately beguiled by the idea of readers feeling a part of the community of a novel. In such a disconnected world, what a good way to increase people’s sense of belonging….