In 2011, The Annual Review of Psychology said that reading triggers our mirror neurons and opens up the parts of our brains responsible for developing empathy, compassion, and understanding. Reading makes you a better leader, teacher, parent, and sibling.
Another study published in Science Magazine found that reading literary fiction helps us improve our empathy and social functioning.
And, finally, an incredible 2013 study at Emory University found that MRIs taken the morning after test subjects were asked to read sections of a novel showed an increase in connectivity in the left temporal cortex — the area of the brain associated with receptivity for language. Just imagine the long-term benefits of cracking open a book every day. -by Neil Pasricha on 8 Ways to Read the Books You Wish You Had Time For