Reading Literary Fiction Boosts Leadership Qualities

According to the article “Reading Fiction Boosts Leadership Qualities” by Emanuele Castano in the December 2020 U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings:

When we read fiction, our minds treat the characters as if they were actual human beings. Therefore, it is as if we were practicing social skills in real life.

Yet Castano says that all fiction is not created equal — the benefits accrue apparently from literary fiction rather than popular fiction:

Readers of literary fiction have to deal with ambiguities and uncertainties and therefore have to make a greater interpretive and inferential effort.

Here is how Castano defines literary fiction:

There are a few aspects that differentiate literary from popular fiction and account for these effects. One is whether meaning is delivered to the reader by the author or has to be constructed by the reader. Popular fiction provides ready-to-wear, unequivocal meanings to readers; it maintains and reinforces the culturally learned and socially shared expectations that the readers possess about the world and other individuals (e.g., personality type) and groups (e.g., stereotypes).

On November 1, 2020, I wrote the blog post “In Defense of Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Although it is probable that by Castano’s definition UNCLE TOM’S CABIN by Harriet Beecher Stowe would be classified as popular fiction (in 1852 when the novel was first published), the novel — inspired by actual events — does not maintain and reinforce “the culturally learned and socially shared expectations that the readers possess about the world.” That difference is what made this novel such a force for change when it was published.

Castano also says:

Another aspect that differentiates popular and literary fiction is their relative emphasis on the plot versus characters. Popular fiction is chiefly concerned with the plot; its characters provide clear anchors around which the plot can be developed. Literary fiction is more concerned with the inner life of the characters: their idiosyncrasies, uniqueness, and consciousness.

Here is the link to Castano’s entire article. Although nonfiction, it does offer much food for thought.

Note: Emanuele Castano is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Italy, and a researcher at the Institute for Biomedic Research and Innovation, National Research Council, Italy. He has published more than 50 articles in the highest ranking scientific journals and has consulted for international organizations and institutions.