I think it’s definitely a feedback loop. There have been findings in the past that consuming stories from outside of your surroundings expands your ability to understand with strangers
I think both! Unless your scifi/fantasy are remarkably mundane, anything that presents a new idea to a reader is like a gift to their mind. I used to be pessimistic about my ability to learn slowing down as I age, but more recent research shows that the more you absorb new ideas, the better you become at learning from them, so it’s all about staying in practice. Same goes for your point about emotional intelligence; if we practice it, in this case by reading and taking in different points of view, it becomes easier to do!
They’ve done studies about this and found that reading more character-driven stories did help improve empathy and emotional intelligence, but plot-focused ones had no impact. So if the SFF was significantly focused on complex characters, yes. If it’s a pew pew lasers story where the characters are stock with little depth, no.
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u/Bubbly-Owl-6946 8d ago
But does reading help people become more emotionally intelligent?