Originally Posted by WT Sharpe
In the Scientific American Mind article " In the Minds of Others", Keith Oatley reports:
Recent research shows that far from being a means to escape the social world, reading stories can actually improve your social skills by helping you better understand other human beings. The process of entering imagined worlds of fiction builds empathy and improves your ability to take another person's point of view.
Some fast facts from the print edition:
Far from being an enticement to real world violence, fiction can foster understanding and insight into the thoughts and feelings of others. Of course, not all fiction is created equal, and there's probably much to be said for the old adage, "garbage in, garbage out". But to deny the benefits of good or just plain enjoyable works of fiction seems to me to be rather—what's that word?— naïve. |