Reading beats loneliness.

I heard about a new (very affirming!) scientific study that made me happy. 30K+ European adults found that daily reading reduced loneliness more than social activities like volunteering, taking classes, or joining clubs.

This effect was strongest for people with small social networks. (Hello fellow introverts! 👋)

The researchers found that reading increases satisfaction with existing relationships, and it directly combats loneliness. They’re guessing that’s probably because of the emotional bonds we form with fictional characters.

Dan Riskin, the scientist who shared this study, said he “can’t imagine book friends replacing real people” in his life. I’m willing to bet he’s an extrovert!

Sooo... the next time you tell people you can't make go to brunch with them this weekend because you’re writing your book, you’re actually being pro-social!

You’re making a long-term investment in connection.

You’re actively socializing with readers who will one day feel less alone because of your book!

This is for real.

We know this already. Books are passed by hand, through word of mouth, through time and space, so they find the people who need to read them. You’ve had this experience, right? The perfect book arrived at the perfect time, and it made your life more meaningful as a result.

Writers are the organizers of the cultural bramblesphere.

You write story and meaning into a world that would be incoherent and lonely without you.

Your art is a gift that you create with the wholeness of yourself, so other people can feel their wholeness, too.

Bringing wholeness into a fractured world is transformative. It IS connection.

Photo credit (top): Danny De Vylder on Unsplash.