Does reading fiction make us better people?

Reading fiction has been said to increase people’s empathy and compassion.

But does the research really bear that out?

Every day more than 1.8 million books are sold in the US and another half a million books are sold in the UK.

Despite all the other easy distractions available to us today, there’s no doubt that many people still love reading.

Books can teach us plenty about the world, of course, as well as improving our vocabularies and writing skills.

But can fiction also make us better people?

The claims for fiction are great.

It’s been credited with…