Emotional Intelligence

Want to understand others better.  Read fiction. Studies indicate that reading fiction activates neuronal pathways in the brain that measurably help the reader better understand real human emotion — improving his or her overall social skillfulness.

Psychologists have been studying the impact for a while now.  One noted researcher in the field, Keith Oatley of the University of Toronto put it best when he noted that "literary soul maetes expect nothing of you."

A little bibliotherapy is good for what ails you.  A good read doesn't just mimic life, it helps to intensify experiences and make them more intersting.  But, it does this from a safe distance.  If your hero confronts a tragedy or gets caught up in events spiraling out of control, you can put the book down and pick it up later after having taken a bit of time to ponder the problem form a safe distance.

So if your feeling a bit too self absorded , immerse yourself in a good book from the Mark Twain Library.