Interested in Self-improvement? Read Literary Fiction!
by Meliha Bajramovic
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Have you ever noticed how some people can make sense of any situation? No matter what happens, they are the ones keeping their cool, trying to come up with various solutions, examining the possible outcomes and articulating their thoughts effortlessly. They’re usually the ones that you can talk to about anything, and they will not be surprised or judgmental. They may or may not offer advice, but they will always hear whatever you say with clear understanding. Yet, leave them on their own, and they still function perfectly. It’s almost like they don’t need anyone; that having people around them is a bonus, rather than a necessity. Research in neuroscience suggests that reading literary fiction helps develop empathy, theory of mind, and critical thinking. In contrast to popular fiction, which gives a reader an exciting experience, literary fiction focuses on the psychology of characters and their relationships, which helps the readers expand their capacity to empathize. The results also suggest that reading fiction is a valuable socializing influence. These results have been particularly useful in the argument to encourage prisoners to read. There are reasons to believe that prisoners who read more are more likely to rehabilitate. If this is the case, then it would be reasonable to think crime might decline if we read more. Harvard Business Review published an article in March 2020 called ‘the case for reading fiction’. Christine Seifert argues that the traits which are impossible to evaluate or quantify such as: self-discipline, self-awareness, creative problem-solving, empathy, learning agility, adaptiveness, flexibility, positivity, rational judgment, generosity, and kindness, are vital for improvement in the business sector and that they can be developed through reading fiction. In contrast to academic books, which provide knowledge, fiction provides understanding of life and the world around us which is necessary for individuals to resist the need for cognitive closure. People who resist the need to cognitive closure tend to be more thoughtful, creative, and comfortable with competing narratives. Enhancing these qualities within ourselves would make us better individuals and therefore, better members of our society, resulting, ideally, in better societies. If reading fiction is potentially so beneficial, what can we, as citizens, writers, book lovers, do to help encourage more people to read? The obvious answer seems to be: Book clubs! Every person should be in at least one book club. There should be a world-wide movement to engage people to be in book clubs. Book clubs offer an opportunity to gossip without the need to feel guilty – we’re not gossiping about real people, they only seem real but they don’t exist and therefore cannot be hurt by anything we might say about them. And, as we all know, gossiping about someone is the best way to make friends, socialize and get to know people in your community. Book clubs also force us to find the time to read, because we want to take part in these meetings. Apart from book clubs, perhaps inspirational quotes should not be hiding inside the covers but should feature proudly on t-shirts, posters, caps, mugs, perhaps even bumper stickers. If one line can make a movie, books have hundreds of such lines that could and should be used to promote reading. A number of countries have had ‘book exchange’ programs, including redesigning bus stops to create space for book donations. Perhaps this sort of thing should be common? Perhaps finding a bus stop that doesn’t have a book shelf should be strange? Whatever it is, we should strive to do all we can to encourage reading. It might be quite a battle, but with love, persistence is easy. And persistence is the key. |
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