Randomized Controlled Trial
doi: 10.1126/science.1239918.
Epub 2013 Oct 3.
Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind
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- PMID: 24091705
- DOI: 10.1126/science.1239918
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind
Science.
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Abstract
Understanding others' mental states is a crucial skill that enables the complex social relationships that characterize human societies. Yet little research has investigated what fosters this skill, which is known as Theory of Mind (ToM), in adults. We present five experiments showing that reading literary fiction led to better performance on tests of affective ToM (experiments 1 to 5) and cognitive ToM (experiments 4 and 5) compared with reading nonfiction (experiments 1), popular fiction (experiments 2 to 5), or nothing at all (experiments 2 and 5). Specifically, these results show that reading literary fiction temporarily enhances ToM. More broadly, they suggest that ToM may be influenced by engagement with works of art.
Comment in
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No support for the claim that literary fiction uniquely and immediately improves theory of mind: A reply to Kidd and Castano's commentary on Panero et al. (2016).J Pers Soc Psychol. 2017 Mar;112(3):e5-e8. doi: 10.1037/pspa0000079. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2017. PMID: 28221090
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