To the delight of bookworms, anyone who has ever told you burying your head in a book means you’re being unsociable will have to cat their wards. A new study suggests those who regularly read，especially fiction，are actually nicer and more empathetic(善解人意)people.

The study, carried out by Kingston University London, and presented at the British Psychological Society conference in Brighton, UK, last week, also found that those who just watched television seemed to be less kind and understanding of other people.

For the study, the researchers questioned 123 people on their preferences for books.TV shows, and plays. They were also quizzed about the type of entertainment they preferred from comedy or romance to drama. Then they were tested on their interpersonal skills. The researchers asked them about their behavior towards others, whether they understood and respected others’ points of view, and whether they actively belted other people.

Drawing on these responses sheet, the researchers found some mind-boggling results. They discovered that those who read more showed greater positive social behavior and a better ability to empathize with others, while those who preferred watching TV didn’t show the same ability to empathize and were more likely to show unsociable behavior.

They also found the forms of fiction people preferred were linked to their interpersonal skills and behavior. Those who preferred fiction displayed the most positive social skills. Romance and drama lovers showed the ability to see others’ points of view, while comedy fans were particularly. Able to relate to others the most.

The researchers concluded that those who read fiction regularly are more well-adapted to see things from other people’s points of view, which makes them better at understanding people. However, they do acknowledge that their study didn’t conclude if the effects are causal-does reading make you nicer and more empathetic, or do more empathetic people tend to read fiction? Even so. picking up a book can’t hurt, and might just make the world a nicer place.

How the British and American Tell Children’s Stories

If Harry Potter and Huckleberry Finn were each to represent British versus American children’s literature, a curious situation would emerge : In a literary competition for the hearts and minds of children, one is a wizard(巫师)- in - training at a boarding school in the Scottish Highlands, while the other is a barefoot boy drifting down the Mississippi, bothered by cheats, slave hunters, and thieves. One defeats evil with a magic stick, the other takes to a raft(筏)to right a social wrong. 【小题1】

The small island of Great Britain is an unquestionably powerhouse of children’s bestsellers: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Significantly, all are fantasies. 【小题2】 Stories like The Call of the Wild. Charlotte’s Web, Little Women, and the Adventures of Tom Sawyer are more notable for their realistic portraits of day-to-day life in the towns and farmlands on the growing frontier. If British children gathered in the dim light of the kitchen fireplace to hear stories about magic swords and talking bears, American children sat at their mother’s knee listening tales with moral messages about a world where life was hard, obedience emphasized, and Christian morality valued. Each style has its virtues, but the British approach undoubtedly creates the kinds of stories that appeal to the furthest reaches of children’s imagination.

【小题3】 For one, the British have always been in touch with their pagan(异教徒的)folk traditions and stories, says Maria Tatar, a Harvard professor of children’s literature. After all, the country’s very origin story is about a young king tutored by a wizard. Legends have always been accepted as history, from Merlin to Macbeth. “Even as the British were digging into these magical worlds, Americans, much more realistic, always viewed their soil as something to exploit,” says Tatar.

American write fantasies too, but nothing like the British, says Jerry Griswold, a San Diego State University professor of children’s literature. He said, “【小题4】” To prove it, he mentioned Dorothy, the heroine of Wizard of Oz(绿野仙踪)who unmasks the great and powerful Wizard as a cheat. Meanwhile, American fantasies differ in another way: They usually end with a moral lesson learned - for example, in Oz, Dorothy’s journey ends with the realization: “There’s no place like home.”