According to a study by Keith Oatley, emeritus professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto and published author:
The brain does not make much distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life. Fiction — with its details, imaginative metaphors and attentive descriptions of people and their actions — offers a rich replica. In one respect novels go beyond simulating reality to give readers an experience unavailable off the written page: the opportunity to enter fully into other people’s thoughts and feelings.
Reading is good for your Brain.