How’s that for a grand heading? Too much? Bear with me and I’ll explain. If you disagree, don’t hate me for it, please.
On Twitter, the other day, I came across a heated discussion about politics. Standard fare, right? That’s what I thought. What surprised me though was the warning in the image below that appeared with the thread – specifically the ‘Don’t forget the human behind the screen.’
Social media is not the best place for a nuanced discussion of any complex topic. Character counts and attention spans limit discourse and make a thorough and balanced exchange of ideas very difficult to achieve. It means that thoughts and opinions can be easily taken out of context. And when they are, someone notices and escalation ensues, usually followed by insults and/or threats.*
*I’ll refer you to Godwin’s law: Regardless of the topic, as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison to Nazis or Hitler becomes 100% with enough time.
One ingredient that is missing from online discussion is empathy. In scientific terms, our ability to tune into and predict the thoughts and feelings of others is called theory of mind. It’s a key tool for humanity, and it enables society to exist as it does. Having a good grasp of theory of mind can help you to connect with family members, friends, or colleagues. Conversely, being bad at it will likely affect your social interactions and relationships.
This is where it gets interesting (and my tenuous thread finally starts to lead somewhere relevant). Evidence shows that reading literary fiction – meaning character-driven fiction – improves theory of mind in terms of predicting what others are thinking and what they are feeling. This is because it forces readers to fill in gaps and work out the meaning of character behaviours when cause and effect are less obvious. We may follow the plot from the perspective of an unreliable main character. There may be multiple viewpoints from different characters to consider – each of whom may be seeing events in a different light.
Improving theory of mind means having a better understanding of the intentions and states of mind of others. This enables us to respond more appropriately to people according to how they are really thinking and feeling, which in turn leads to less misunderstanding and potential for confrontation. For this very reason, reading literary fiction has been used to try and improve empathy and socialization among prisoners.
So next time you’re in an argument on Twitter, and you’re on the verge of calling someone a Nazi, take a step back, have a think, and maybe advise your opponent to pick up some Dostoevsky instead?
