Fiction and emotional intelligence

7/6/2014

Last year I read an article in the New York Times on the benefits of reading fiction. Since then, I've jumped into the world of fiction head first, making up for all the years I've immersed myself in non-fiction. My chronic desire to be “productive” has drawn me to non-fiction in general, thinking that my time is best spent learning about health or psychology or biology….but really the benefits of fiction are vast. Especially for those (like myself) who struggle with expressing and reading their emotions and of those around them.

The study highlighted in the article found that after reading literary fiction, as opposed nonfiction, people performed better on tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence. It makes sense since our brains don't make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life (which is why self-talk is so powerful!). Researchers say the reason is that fiction often leaves more to the imagination, encouraging readers to make inferences about characters and be sensitive to emotional nuance and complexity.

Scientists call this capacity of the brain to construct a map of other people’s emotions and intentions “theory of mind.” And this capacity starts at a young age! A 2010 study found a similar result in preschool-age children: the more stories they had read to them, the keener their theory of mind — an effect that was also produced by watching movies but, curiously, not by watching television. Take note parents: preschoolers who have a TV in their bedroom and are exposed to more background TV have a weaker understanding of other people's beliefs and desires, and reduced cognitive development.

Since reading that article I’ve read more than a dozen of awesome novels. Check out the website Goodreads.com if you’re interested in some good recommendations. Currently I am reading A Confederacy of Dunces, one of the most hilarious and outlandish books I’ve ever read. It’s a blast uncontrollably laughing aloud on public transit and sharing with my fellow riders who express curiosity.

What are your favorite works of fiction? I would love to know your thoughts and get your recommendations.

5 Comments

albert

7/6/2014 06:39:47 pm

Welcome to the Monkey House, short stories by Kurt Vonnegut is a great read. Brief and bizarre stories that are intriguing and entertaining. Short stories in general are an awesome investment into the world of fiction. I just read some introspective short stories by Leo Tolstoy this past weekend, he paints reflective and emotional scenes. Looking forward to read short stories of Washington Irving next, an American novelist who wrote, "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle"

Andie

7/7/2014 02:27:44 pm

Kurt Vonnegut is definitely in my top 10 great fiction writers! Thanks for sharing, I look forward to hearing about Irving's works from you xxo

Adam?

7/8/2014 06:13:32 am

Vonnegut is fantastic, his humanism is enormous--there is so much insight in his writing disguised with his simple, storyteller's style--and his imagination was humbling.

A Confederacy of Dunces is funny, but it's also more bitter than Vonnegut (to my recollection).

I know this is not a stretch, But Philip Kindred Dick is another favorite who, like Vonnegut, showed incredible humanity and empathy but with more emotionally intense (at least to my meter) situations, and a less pragmatic view of the world (maybe not so much less pragmatic as more intuitive -- Dick's beliefs about the nature of reality were outside the norm, for example).

Neal Stephenson, like so many of the SF writers before him (including Vonnegut and Dick), has proven that the prescience required to project into the future actually requires a great deal of understanding about the human condition, and, to a certain extent, by reading these insights we can share in them and expand upon them with our own experiences. Anathem, which supposes that not only is platonic Idealism the nature of reality, but that it explains the existence of multiple dimensions, is an interesting read, and the Baroque Cycle, which offers an alternative history weaving pirates, Isaac Newton and GH Leibniz (etc.) with the ancestors of characters created for the novel Cryptonomicon is a three-book series that offers so much.

I could go on, but it's making me sad that my reading has really been lacking of late.

I will suggest that all creative media offer people the possibility of improving connection to others if the participant actively engages with what's being offered, because such media, as manifestations of the internal mechanisms inside the creator(s) carry in them pieces of that individual that would otherwise be constrained within their consciousness, thus allowing us an opportunity to expand our consciousness to include the others' perspective, while also comparing our own to what we see.

I wonder if the television effect is changing since the shift from more individual blocks of entertainment (sitcoms) or information (children's shows) to the more connected narratives exploring characters that are common in today's dramatic shows? Granted, there's still Real Housewives of Orange County (but, who am I to say, maybe that has some sort of positive effect . . . )

I feel I went a little overboard here.

Rebecca

7/8/2014 03:25:59 pm

Andie, Great conversation, I read fiction for the pure pleasure and distraction of a busy schedule and life. I don't have the same insight as some of the comments posted but I like to read fiction, it take me to another world and it frees my mind from my daily thoughts.

I recently read a series written by Jussi Adler-Olsen a Danish author who writes about Department Q a psychological thriller crime fiction, with some dark humor. Jussi's protagonist is the deeply flawed Copenhagen detective Carl Morck, head of "Department Q", a special police unit created for a type of unsolved crimes that the political establishment has deemed as deserving "special scrutiny".

I like how Adler developed the characters in each of the four books he has written. Very engaging and entertaining!

Aandie

7/9/2014 03:59:47 pm

Such great food for thought and recommendations, thank you. Adam - I look forward to getting into Stephenson and Dick and reporting back; and yes Confederacy of Dunces is bitter... Maybe we can start a bookclub to keep the motivations up. I too wonder about the more information-oriented programming vs those for entertainment...though nothing beats learning by doing. And yes Rebecca, the escape is a great solace in our chaotic world and often a critical form of stress relief. Xoxx

Author

Hello and welcome! My name is Andrea Notch Mayzeles. I am a Certified Health Education Specialist, Mom, and Master of Public Health dedicated to the path of well-being. As a wellness professional I am committed to continued learning and am here to share research, recipes and musings on health, psychology, personal development, and parenting. I hope you enjoy!

Fiction and emotional intelligence

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