Getting Lost in a Novel Is Actually One of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Brain

When was the last time you got lost in a story?

By Lauren Thomann. Published on June 23, 2026

Key Takeaways

• Unlike scrolling, deep reading fiction requires your brain to concentrate on a single narrative for an extended period, which can strengthen attention and cognitive resilience.
  
• Fiction may help readers better understand other people’s perspectives and navigate life’s challenges in a low-stakes environment.
  
• If you don’t like reading right now, start small with compelling stories, audiobooks, or just 10 minutes of reading a day to gradually rebuild your attention span.
  

We are in the Information Age, where we are flooded with a constant stream of content vying for our attention. And perhaps more than ever before, we are feeling distracted, fatigued, and emotionally drained. While mindless scrolling seems to alleviate stress in the moment, it’s not nearly as effective for our mental health as sitting down with a good book.

In fact, deep reading fiction helps us see other perspectives more clearly, among other benefits. To better understand how novels compare to social media, we asked psychiatrists what happens to our brains when we read fiction, why the habit is more valuable than ever, and how to get started if you normally avoid reading anything longer than a text. 

• Lauren Grawert, MD, double board-certified psychiatrist and clinical advisor at The Garden Recovery & Wellness
• Allen Masry, MD, board-certified adult and addiction psychiatrist and medical director at All in Solutions Behavioral Health

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What Is Deep Reading?

Deep reading is simply concentrating on long-form content (any book!) for extended periods. When you deep read fiction specifically, your attention is focused only on the narrative rather than bouncing between competing sources of information.

“Your brain has ample opportunity to create meaning, visualize scenes, make predictions, and develop an emotional connection with the characters,” says Lauren Grawert, MD, board-certified psychiatrist and clinical advisor at The Garden Recovery & Wellness. “This type of concentration is significantly different from rapidly scanning through short bits of information online or via social media, as deep reading requires sustained cognitive focus.”

Read more: Getting Lost in a Novel Is Actually One of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Brain – Real Simple

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