Why Fantasy Novels Makes You Smarter and Environmental Benefits of Buying Second Hand Novels

In this article, we are going to share with you some tips on why reading fantasy novels makes you smarter plus environmental benefits of buying second hand novels. 

Steadily Develops Your Sense of Empathy 

First and foremost, fantasy helps readers to get a better grasp of their empathetic side. Empathy is a form of emotional intelligence in that it aids people in relating to others to help see life through their subjective lens. 

This emotional intelligence comes in handy when trying to reach an accommodation between two conflicting sides. This is a hard skill to obtain since everyone’s views are inevitably skewed by their own perspectives and life experiences. To solve real-world problems, empathy is a necessity. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to reach a resolution that is mutually beneficial for both sides. 

Fantasy builds up empathy by thrusting the reader into a variety of different characters. You’re with them on every step of their journey. You get a glimpse into their thoughts, feelings, motives, and interactions with other characters. There have been past studies to prove this, including an experiment conducted by Raymond A. Mar. Mar recorded empathy/social-acumen measures in relation to lifetime exposure to fiction versus non-fiction texts. After analyzing the data, the study indicated a positive relationship between repeated exposure to fictional texts and higher social ability scores (source). 

You get the good, the bad, and the ugly by living vicariously through these fictional characters. This is a rarity in real life because we’re seldom presented with the opportunity to see life through someone else’s shoes. This type of exposure helps to ease us out of our subjective perspectives to see through a different kind of lens. Although we may not necessarily identify with these fictional characters’ beliefs, they open up entirely different mental avenues that we can use for real-life scenarios. 

Trains You to Think Beyond the Surface Level 

In addition, fantasy teaches readers how to extend their thoughts beyond the superficial layer. Fantasy stories encourage readers to dig deeper and discover the answers to their questions below the surface. Read any reputable fantasy story, and you’ll see that it’s filled with metaphors and symbolism that hint at eventual plot and character developments. 

As you continue to read fantasy, you get better at picking up on these sorts of underlying signals. It’s almost like you’re piecing together a puzzle, except that you’re being fed the pieces with each progressive chapter. Of course, you can enjoy the story exclusively at the surface level, but this hidden element of fantasy stories unearths an altogether different kind of satisfaction. This sort of thinking has real-world application in that the answers to our biggest questions rarely ever lie on the surface. You have to work hard to uncover the truth behind what you’re looking for, whether it be improvising a secondary use for a tool or resource or looking at a problem from an altogether different angle. 

Nowadays, we’re often taught a singular approach to solve problems as the “tried and true” way to do things. Reading fantasy pushes us to delve further and unlock creative ways to solve everyday issues. 

Able to Better Anticipate Other People’s Social Motivations and Tendencies 

In addition, fantasy readings offer pages and pages of character dialogue and behavior explicitly aligned with what they aim to accomplish. Over time, you’ll recognize that these characters—regardless of whether they’re protagonists or antagonists—often implement similar strategies to get what they want. Although these strategic tactics pertain specifically to the circumstances within the fantasy narrative, the premise behind these strategies can be applied to the broader context of real life. 

For example, one persuasive tactic I’ve seen on multiple occasions in the book I’m reading now is reciprocity. In Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson, one of the main characters, Dalinar, attempts to form a coalition between powerful individual kingdoms to unite against a looming threat on the horizon. The only problem is that each kingdom has its own agenda and is reluctant to give up power to other political figures. 

Dalinar recognizes this and appeals to the motivations of each kingdom by providing unprompted assistance. He uses his soldiers to help rebuild a foreign city. He helps fortify a contested allied position that’s left vulnerable to the enemy, even though the alliance has not yet been formalized. These acts of service help further the coalition efforts because the other kingdoms feel compelled to return the favor, the very premise behind the persuasive tactic of reciprocity (source). 

This is just one example of how you can learn how to appeal to other people’s social motivations. Other persuasive tactics are harped upon in fantasy, including social proof, emphasis on scarcity, and projecting an air of authority. It’s one thing to read about these tactics online, but it’s another to see these socialization methods laid out in a descriptive story. 

Shows You How to Craft Convincing Arguments that Apply to the Real World 

Fantasy stories also demonstrate to readers how to form compelling arguments that bolster whatever claim you’re trying to make. Using logic and reason to solidify a particular stance on a controversial area is a unique skill in the real world. Every day, the news is filled with controversial topics related to religion, politics, and moral dilemmas. 

To identify with a particular position or side, you need to use the information that you have to form a concrete argument for why you identify with your current stance. This way, when you’re prodded for answers about why you believe what you believe, you can communicate to people the exact reasons you came to the conclusions you did. 

If you haven’t noticed already, fantasy books are based around conflict. Characters are constantly bashing heads—mentally and physically—when it comes to what their individual intentions are. Without conflict, there would be no story to speak of. Although these conflicts may have imaginative properties to them, they often use real-world approaches to fix these issues. Oftentimes, the author deliberately includes a rationale as to why each character does what they do. 

Not only does this further the characterization aspect of the novel, but it also makes the story more realistic. Every action has an argument behind why they did it. After reading hundreds to thousands of these arguments presented by fantasy writers, you’ll inevitably get a feel for how to rationalize your thoughts and beliefs in real-life scenarios.  

More Equipped to Relay Your Ideas to Other People Through Language 

Furthermore, the themes and ideas presented in fantasy stories often resonate with readers because of their potential applications to real life. By exposing themselves to these ideas, people can better formulate their thoughts on these matters and put them into words. 

It’s always a major struggle trying to unravel the deep, complex mysteries of life. Sometimes, it may even seem that words aren’t enough to depict the message you’re trying to convey. Reading can help you find these words and voice your opinion in an educated, thoughtful manner. Renowned fantasy writers are the best in the business at relaying their thoughts through language. It takes exceptional talent to illustrate an imaginary world that defies the laws of physics with descriptive language alone. 

Reading fantasy can help you take after these fantasy writers. After all, you’re with these authors for hundreds of pages. Eventually, you will absorb some of their language skills and incorporate them into your own communication skill set. There’s a growing emphasis placed on social intelligence in our day and age now that you can connect with anybody by tapping at a phone screen. For this reason, this type of intelligence is something that you should not overlook. 

Diversifies Your Perspective on a Variety of Important Everyday Subjects 

An expansion of perspective is yet another mental boost that results from reading fantasy. Perspective is crucial in today’s world because it forces people to look outside the box. When you’re too narrow-minded and unwilling to venture outside of a skewed perspective, it can be challenging to find alternative solutions to everyday problems. 

Fantasy helps young readers, mainly because they don’t yet have a well-rounded perspective to see problems differently. Their lack of experience and perspective makes it hard to apply their current knowledge and skills to real-life situations. As an example, fantasy books tend to showcase the coming-of-age theme. Young adults are constantly on the hunt for answers regarding who they are and who they want to become because of their lack of perspective. Consequently, fantasy stories that feature this theme resonate with young adult readers. 

By presenting young adult readers with a coming-of-age story, they are opened up to a like-minded perspective. They can see how the protagonist (or antagonist) handles the trials of youth. Through these fictional characters, they can agree or disagree with how the character handles situations and develop a better sense of their core values. Ultimately, young adults can base their whole persona on these core values, strengthening their identity and decision-making skills. 

All this talk of identity and perspective makes readers smarter because they can use their knowledge of the self to tackle everyday challenges. It’s a lot harder to solve problems when you don’t even know your individual perspective on specific issues. 

Buying Second Hand Novels  

One of the key values of sustainable living that most of us are already familiar with is the phrase "Reduce, reuse, recycle." By recycling things that have already been made and removing them from landfills, second hand novels shopping decreases the environmental impact of our purchases. Second hand purchasing, most crucially, has a big positive impact on the environment. For a variety of reasons, this is true.  

Environmental Benefits of Buying Second Hand Novels  

Buying second hand novels rather than new books reduces pollution.  

Every new thing has an impact on the environment and pollutes it in some way. During the production process, pollution might occur at any time. From the extraction of raw materials to product manufacturing and global dissemination. Natural resources are consumed at an alarmingly high rate. Traditional fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals are routinely used in this process.  

Toxic chemicals are utilized to manufacture synthetic colors for our clothing, for example. They're also routinely dumped into the environment and into bodies of water. Manufacturing intermediate and finished products is also quite polluting.  Thousands of tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere during the movement of goods around the world. Greenhouse gases are discharged into the atmosphere and contaminants are spread across the environment when goods end up in landfills. As a result, contaminated groundwater and soil exist.  

Creating new objects, as we have seen, leads to global pollution. It contributes to water, air, and land pollution. One of the most effective methods to help conserve the environment is to buy second hand novels rather than new.  

Second hand novel shopping helps the environment by conserving natural resources.  

Buying used products such as second hand books help to minimize the need for new things. Creating new objects also demands the use of natural resources, as previously noted. Many of these resources, however, are non-renewable. We need oil, which is not a renewable resource, to create plastic things, for example.  

According to scientists, if global consumption levels continue unchanged, we will only have 47 years of oil left. Many natural resources are also not obtained in an environmentally or ethically responsible manner. Right now, I'm thinking about unsustainable wood production. It results in the extinction of wildlife habitats, environmental damage, and the extermination of indigenous peoples. The mining of key elements used in electronics has huge social and environmental consequences. Humanity's demand for natural resources exceeded the planet's ability to replenish that year on July 29, 2019.  

We are outraged as environmentalists! As a result, in order to protect the environment, we recommend second hand novel shopping! When you buy something second hand, you are ensuring that natural resources are preserved. You're not promoting immoral or unsustainable behavior, either.  

Buying second hand novels rather than new books helps us lessen our carbon footprint.  

Conserving water in our daily life is one of the most significant actions we can take to live more sustainably. Our water footprint includes not just the amount of water we consume on a daily basis, but also "hidden" water. Hidden or virtual water is the water used to manufacture the goods we consume. We frequently forget the reality that generating new things takes massive volumes of water. A cotton t-shirt, for example, requires approximately 713 gallons (2,700 liters) of water to manufacture. As a result, every time you purchase a new t-shirt, you are leaving a water footprint. This is true for other products as well.  

As a result, we can see how crucial it is to purchase used rather than new whenever possible. In the long term, buying second hand novels saves a lot of water! Humans cannot life without water, which is one of the most essential resources on the world. We must not waste it as if it were infinite.  

Buying second hand novels saves you money and energy.  

In order to make material products, we also need a lot of energy to keep machines and factories operating. Electricity can be generated using coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, and other energy sources. As a result, we are reducing our dependency on non-renewable energy by avoiding purchasing new products and instead choosing for old items.