A new study published by Dan Johnson ofWashington and Lee University shows experimentally that reading fictionincreases empathy (共情).
The participants were asked to read a shortstory and report their mood. Then, in a staged accident, the experimenterknocked over several pens and recorded whether the participants helped pickthem up. They found that the more people were transported into the story, themore likely they were to help pick up the dropped pens. Those who engaged moredeeply with the fictional characters also showed more empathy for the real-lifeperson.
Empathy, like patience appears to be a characterthat can be improved with practice. Study has shown the more students readbooks, especially storybooks, the better they are at understanding the emotionsof others. However, researchers at the University of Michigan reported lastyear that empathy among college students had declined during the past 30 years,with an especially steep drop in the last decade. The reason is plain to see.
It's important to understand where empathy comesfrom in the first place. Looking at the evolution of the human mind, it hasbeen suggested that the ability to process hypothetical scenarios (假设情景) of what another person might be thinking provided an advantageto our early ancestors. Empathy may have arisen from one of the mostfundamental human characteristics—the ability to cheat.
Storytelling is essentially just a kind of art. IsHarry Potter real? No, but by projecting ourselves into his story, we'reengaging a very real part of our brain. That sense of escape or socialparticipation often is what makes books so enjoyable. Unfortunately, books arefalling out of style. The cause of this is partially due to e book sales, whichhave arisen greatly over the past few years and taken a share out of thephysical book market without necessarily indicating a decline in reading.
Even though some of us would like to, we can'tblame the digital retailers for our decreased empathy. In fact, some peopleprobably read more with their more convenient e-readers than ever before withhard copies. It's the culture of reading in general that needs to change.
