Why is it that more and more people are reading old-fashioned printed books despite earlier predictions that technology would be the demise of deep reading? Maybe because they intuitively understand what science is just now getting around to proving—not only does reading make us smarter, it also makes us nicer and more empathetic too. According to the latest research, reading fiction has been shown to improve people’s ability to perceive others’ emotions while also improving social-cognitive performance. If you’re looking to boost your people skills, perhaps it’s time you pick up a book.