Are people who read fiction helping build a stronger society?

The research is in, and it all flows in the same direction: fictional stories – from novels to movies to theatre to TV shows – form the rock bed of a moral society.  Fiction teaches us to be more empathetic, more understanding, more moral. Fictional stories help us adhere to a just society and, as some would argue, help make societies work.  So the next time you curl up with a good book, know that you’re also making the world a better place.

The debate has raged for decades – what role do fictional stories tell?  Is TV, as the head of the FCC once remarked, truly “a vast wasteland” which corrodes society’s values? 

Author Jonathan Gottschall, in his stirring new book “The Storytelling Animal” says no – fiction serves a clear and definable role. It forces us to think about right and wrong, evil and just behavior.  In short: fiction is good for you.  Gottschall writes: 

“. . . research consistently shows that fiction does mold us. The more deeply we are cast under a story’s spell, the more potent its influence. In fact, fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when we read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally, and this seems to make us rubbery and easy to shape.”

Gottschall acknowledges that fiction has its downsides. He writes:

“. . . those who are concerned about the messages in fiction — whether they are conservative or progressive — have a point. Fiction is dangerous because it has the power to modify the principles of individuals and whole societies. But fiction is doing something that all political factions should be able to get behind. Beyond the local battles of the culture wars, virtually all storytelling, regardless of genre, increases society’s fund of empathy and reinforces an ethic of decency that is deeper than politics.”

Eric Liebetrau, reviewing Gottschall’s work in a piece for The Boston Globe, affirms the power of fiction, saying: “Contrary to conventional wisdom, fiction is not just a method for escaping harsh reality.” Quoting Gottschall, Liebetrau points out that fiction serves as a “powerful and ancient virtual reality technology that simulates the big dilemmas of human life.”

Gottschall’s final word:

“Fiction is often treated like a mere frill in human life, if not something worse. But the emerging science of story suggests that fiction is good for more than kicks. By enhancing empathy, fiction reduces social friction. At the same time, story exerts a kind of magnetic force, drawing us together around common values. In other words, most fiction, even the trashy stuff, appears to be in the public interest after all.”

Afterword: Gottschall’s analysis, explains Liebetrau, embraces “a host of different disciplines, including classic literature, psychology, social sciences, biology, neurology, religion, and evolutionary studies.” And Liebetrau adds that the author offers some “modest suggestions.”  For example:
• “Allow yourself to daydream. Daydreams are our own little stories. . . . ”
• “If you are a doubter, try to be more tolerant of the myths . . . . that help tie culture together. . . . ”
• “Read fiction . . . . it will make you more empathic and better able to navigate life’s dilemmas.”