Reading helps you understand life

 I have a craze that turned into an informal survey. I often ask for my classes or lectures, what my students go reading. Little, I conclude. Sometimes I quote some relevant books to know if they do, or have done, part of the interests of someone. I confess that the number of raised hands often not great. What consoles me is that many note and show interest in looking after. Already earned.

And here it is necessary to differentiate. There are books and books. All are good, but the ideal is to seek, say, complementary combination. How often speak to audiences of students graduate or business executives, it is natural that I cite books more technical authors such as Jim Collins, Michael Porter, Ram Charan or even Malcolm Gladwell, who writes about behavioral research. ok, but there's more on the shelves. There are novels. And they definitely are not just for fun.

Earlier, I had access to a search beyond enlightening. Professor Maja Djikic, ph.d. in psychology from the Rotman School of Management, Canada, published a scientific article entitled Opening the Closed Mind (something like "Opening a closed mind"), which reports the results of a survey conducted by the Laboratory of Human Development, which is director.

The article explores the effects of reading on a psychological condition called need for closure, in which a person has difficulty in dealing with the ambiguities and uncertainties, which affect a lot, especially in decision-making and the establishment of human relations. The search result can be adapted to all people.

In summary, the researcher created groups of people classified by their reading habits. There was the group of those who read books and technical texts, the self-help group of eaters and those who liked the general literature, including novels. And of course, the group who did not read anything.

Conclusion? People who read novels were easier to deal with the facts of everyday life, practiced more empathy with people in their relationship and were less vulnerable to life's difficulties.