Well, kind of. According to a recent study by psychologists in Washington University, getting lost in fictional adventures of heroines such as Bridget Jones could help make us better at dealing with similar real-life situations. (Anyone for big knickers?)Okay, so if we didn't follow Bridget's adventures religiously anyway, now's the time we did. Apparently.
Jeffrey Zacks, who co-authored the study, said: "There has been good evidence for a while that mental simulation - imagination - can improve performance in sport and other skilled behaviours. This study suggests that readers do mental simulation when they comprehend a story. It could well be that the simulations we perform when reading function like skilled practice. I was reading a cooking magazine last night, and I certainly hope that helps me get better with a whisk."
So does this mean we now have a bit more hard evidence to present to the chick-lit haters of the world? Your thoughts, please...
To check out the full Guardian article, click here.
