(Image source from: Beware! Book worms can read your mind)

Mental health is considered to be as important as bodily heath, maybe more. When mental faculties are able and positive, even recovery from chronic diseases becomes possible. Such occurrences have been recorded throughout history. To take our minds a step ahead, researchers have discovered one simple secret to enhance out mind reading skills.

We're not talking about telepathy here, but the simple act of being well read. Book worms would rejoice and non-readers may probably begin to yawn. Wait! This has actually worked in a group of volunteers who sat down to read national award worthy novels. After they finished their book, a series of cognitive tests showed that these people had a heightened ability to grasp the other person's emotions and thought processes.

Surprised? Psychologists at the New School for Social Research in New York City say that people who read celebrated books scored highest on several tests that identify others’ motives and emotions. Tests involved the volunteers to identify feelings of individuals from pictures or read their emotions based on facial expressions.

Researchers conclude that after reading about various characters and their motives in the fictional world, people were able to enhance their mind reading skills in real life. There is only one catch. The skills are apparent for only a brief amount of time. It remains to be seen whether a regular fiction diet has long lasting effects on the mind.

Source: Science News

(AW: Sruthi)