If reading books became a daily habit for kids and adults alike, would it bring society closer together?
Though many of us savor the written word, reading fiction or tales of non-fiction, we also tend to enjoy exchanging ideas we’ve learned about and discussing the emotions great stories conjure up for us with others.
Why is that? Well, in studies of people who read fiction, a growing body of research has found links between empathy and reading, leading us to better understand some of the benefits of book learning.
Beyond the entertainment or educational value books can offer, readers of literary fiction notably gain the perspective of others and enhance their ability to share in their feelings, even with those who are different from themselves. That’s because stories of fiction are fundamentally created as an exploration of the human experience. People who begin to read fictional works at a young age often foster empathy and resilience with greater ease over the long term.
“Reading novels enables us to become better at actually understanding other people and what they’re up to,” says Keith Oatley, a novelist and professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto. “[With] someone who you’re married to . . . or a close friend, you can actually get to know them. Reading fiction enables you to sample across a much wider range of possible people and come to understand something about the differences among them.”
Someone else’s perspective
Empathy is a trait that psychologists have found to be innate in humans. Even babies display empathy toward others. That said, some folks naturally show more empathetic characteristics and behaviors while some develop stronger empathy with age or life experience.
If you’re motivated to become more empathetic, some research indicates that you probably can. Cultivating empathy involves social awareness and emotional growth. There are countless ways to practice this, but the point is to get to know others, put yourself in their shoes, and challenge any preconceived notions or biases you may have already formed.
One of the best tools available to help with this is reading fiction. Allowing the words on a page to transport you into the mind of another, safely exploring a unique perspective from a character’s point of view, and imagining what they see and feel can become a transformative experience for any reader.
You may set sail on a literary journey through the world as another gender, culture, religion, sexuality, profession, or any number of identities that differ vastly from your own. This sort of exposure to different life circumstances enables us to build resilience to the trials and tribulations life brings. For instance, what would it be like escaping a war zone as a refugee, or losing a child in an accident, or starting life over in a new country away from your family?
Reading a work of fiction has the power to influence how we relate to others in the real world. As William Chopik, a psychologist at the University of Michigan says, “Fiction and stories do a lot of things for us. They expose us to uncomfortable ideas . . . and provide us with the opportunity to take other peoples’ perspectives in a safe, distanced way. In that way, fiction serves as a playground for exercising empathic skills.”
Continuing on your journey
In case you’re wondering about the intersection between empathy and fiction, it has been shown that the act of reading itself is what promotes a change in an individual’s empathy, generally speaking.
Just because a person naturally exhibits empathy does not mean they are more drawn to stories of fiction, or that fiction readers possess specific traits in their personality making them capable of showing greater empathy. “When we subtract all these things out, which we did [in our research], this idea that reading fiction enables people to understand others better was still there,” Oatley says.
It is worth noting that there are distinctions between literary fiction and genre fiction that might explain differences in empathy, according to researchers. A greater emphasis on character development is typical in works of literary fiction, which is more likely to disrupt a reader’s expectations of the people and scenarios depicted. Classic examples in literature are Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy or Beloved by Toni Morrison.
Genre fiction, on the other hand, takes a more plot driven approach. Popular examples of this are Stephen King’s horror novels and John Grisham’s legal thrillers. Although people love to read them because they’re super-entertaining, these stories adhere to more predictable themes that tend to challenge readers’ views less.
Some of the most powerful examples of how storytelling improves our lives by influencing empathy come from studies that focused on attitudes toward members of stigmatized groups.
For example, a 2014 study showed that after reading Harry Potter, elementary school and high school students in Italy and the United Kingdom became more empathetic toward immigrants, refugees, and gay and lesbian people. “The world of Harry Potter is characterized by strict social hierarchies and resulting prejudices, with obvious parallels with our society,” explained the researchers in their work, and people without magical powers are discriminated against in the series.
Oatley points out that different readers need different things from different books. (In case you’re looking for a strong recommendation, he said you can’t go wrong with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen). Given that many incredible stories based on real life are written about in memoirs, biographies and some historical non-fiction, they should not be entirely ruled out, he said. The key to linking positive effects of reading on empathy is for you to discover compelling stories about people and their circumstances that resonate in your heart, with the potential to leave a lasting impression, and promote resilience.