We all had our favorite stories as kids, those books we begged our parents to read a million times. As adults, time might be tight, but delving into a really good book offers the same fulfillment and retreat.
Our captivation with stories is as natural as our desire for music, our appreciation of art, and our enjoyment of play. Before writing, we told stories around the fire, imparting survival lessons and epic tales. Narratives became integral in spreading and binding together larger civilizations through formal religion and cultural identification. Stories have always been a conduit for the ageless, universal, and transcendental.
There’s even a medical practice known as bibliotherapy, in which books and other texts, including self-help books and fiction, poetry, drama, and biographies, act as therapists.
Bibliotherapy for Depression
One study found that bibliotherapy can be as effective as antidepressants in mild to moderate depression. Participants with minimal phone follow-up saw the same gains as those with intensive follow-up, both experiencing significant reductions in depressive symptoms. That’s powerful—no follow-up required. The books were enough.
Cognitive Reserve
Bibliotherapy has also been studied to boost cognitive reserve, which can stave off cognitive decline. This is one of the reasons why I continue to “train my brain” with crosswords, Sudoku, and other puzzles, plus reading fiction. When you read a story, your brain is “experiencing” what transpires. It’s not the same as actually living the story, but it’s closer than doing nothing at all.
Chronic Pain
Bibliotherapy is actually effective against some measures of chronic pain, perhaps because it distracts the mind from focusing on the physical sensations. It doesn’t necessarily reduce the pain, but it does improve quality of life and ability to function.
Social Connection
Group bibliotherapy—think book clubs—can also enhance social connections, especially for those who often suffer from a lack of them, like senior citizens. Shared reading experiences can help individuals connect over common themes and discussions, shattering isolation and loneliness.
No Analysis Required
Bibliotherapy doesn’t require you to be “analyzing” literature to get the benefits. You actually need to let go and let the story take over. That’s one reason why fiction seems to work better than self-help books. You get lost in the story and it stops feeling so clinical. Characters' trials and outcomes can deeply resonate with readers, allowing them to find themselves and their life’s issues laid bare.
Buy-in Required
For bibliotherapy with “self-help” didactic books to be effective, you do have to be interested and invested. You have to be open to the experience and willing to do the reading. It doesn’t work unless you’re all in. Fiction probably works even if you’re not trying.
The Bottom Line
Research aside, we know that books can affect us deeply. Everyone has had that book that just stuck with them for days, months, or even years. The one that got lodged in their heart and soul and never really let go. This can be for better or for worse, but it shows just how powerful books can be.
Books offer novel perspectives and bypass our rational brain to hit our hearts, illuminating our individual circumstances and affirming the commonalities of humanity. They offer alternative settings and narratives that may help break us out of our ruts. We inhabit another existence, if only for an hour or two, and return fortified, renewed, and fulfilled.
