The following article is from The New Yorker by Ceridwen Dovey who is the author of the novel “Blood Kin” and the short-story collection “Only the Animals.” It is believed that readers of fiction have a better ability to empathize with others.

The neuroscience of empathy can be explained by what is called "mirror neurons". Discovered in the 1990s, these neurons fire in the brain when you act and when you observe another performing the same action. These are the same neurons responsible for compassion for others. The success of psychodynamic psychotherapy, which is a type of psychotherapy used in my practice, relies on one individual's ability to interpret mental and emotional processes.

This article makes the interesting observation that since reading fiction may involve placing oneself in the emotional mind of the characters it may ease psychological tension.

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/can-reading-make-you-happier