Reading Fiction Books Is Likely To Foster Better Vocabulary, Finds New Study

Brain News: A study claimed that the habit of reading any kind of fiction show improves vocabulary and language skills.

A recent study claims that people who enjoy reading any kind of fiction show the greater possibilities of improving their language skills. Such individuals scored higher on language tests, unlike people who read to access a piece of particular information. According to the researchers, with leisure reading declining as a pastime among young adults, it is crucial to emphasize the fun aspect of it as it can boost their vocabulary while taking them back to novels. The guilty pleasure of reading fiction is linked with positive cognitive benefits and verbal outcomes.

To test reading behavior, researchers had used a scale called the Predictors of Leisure Reading (PoLR). They then analyzed how well the PoLR predicted the language skills of 200 undergraduate students, by gathering data from York University. To the researchers, the age range of the subjects in the study was of key interest.

The research was divided into two separate sessions. First, the participants completed the 48-question on the PoLR scale measuring various reading factors followed by a language test. Scores of the test correlate with both actual reading behavior and with verbal abilities.
The final results had revealed that enjoying reading, positive attitudes, and deeply established interests implied better verbal abilities. It also showed that the students were more strongly associated with exposure to fiction than non-fiction.

Additionally, it must be noted that apart from having better verbal abilities, lifelong readers are more understanding of others, empathetic, less prejudiced, attain higher socioeconomic status, and even live longer healthier lives.

To Know More, You May Refer To:

Sandra Martin-Chang, Stephanie Kozak, Kyle C. Levesque, Navona Calarco, Raymond A. Mar. What’s your pleasure? exploring the predictors of leisure reading for fiction and nonfiction. Reading and Writing, 2021; DOI: 10.1007/s11145-020-10112-7