The Literary Anterior Insular Cortex
Why reading more books makes you a nicer person.
Can we all just collectively agree that 2021 sucked? And if you are a natural or developed empath, 2021 was not only physically draining, but mentally and emotionally too. In the 28th year that I have been alive, I’ve never witnessed or experienced such overt hate for others as I did during 2021. Now before we go any further, let me issue a caveat.
I am a heterosexual, white woman. So I will not for one nanosecond pretend to feel, experience, or truly understand the pain that has been felt by the Black and LGBTQ+ communities recently. I am an ally to both groups and will help in any way that I can, but I will never know your pain.
I am also a heavily empathetic person. Meaning that while I wasn’t directly oppressed, I still felt emotionally connected and affected. Not nearly as much as the communities that were targeted and I cannot stress that enough. I recently heard it put like this:
“Instead of not giving a fuck, I’m going to give all the fucks, simultaneously, all at once, and none of y’all are ready for that. “ -howdyhowdyyall1
And truly, I’ve never felt a more emotional connection with a statement.
The purpose of this article is to offer insight into how you can begin to see others’ points of view more. NOT for me to whine about how hard my middle-class lifestyle is. Because it's not and I know that.
So let's get to it. Can reading more fictional, biographical, or autobiographical books make you a nicer person? In short, I want to argue that yes, it can.
Will reading more fictional, biographical, or autobiographical books AUTOMATICALLY make you a nicer person? No. obviously it will not, and I cannot argue that if only Ted Bundy had simply read the Harry Potter series in its entirety that he would have been a nice, sweet man. However, if you are trying to understand another’s point of view or where they are coming from better, then, combined with good ole’ effort, reading more can help.
Here’s why I think that.
Empathy is the ability to grasp and internalize the emotional state of others. A study done at Mount Sinai Medical Center established that the “activity center” of the brain when it comes to empathy is the Anterior Insular Cortex. In other words, Ted Bundy’s Anterior Insular Cortex probably didn’t work too well. Or, it worked so well and he was just simply evil. But that’s an article for another day.
That same part of the brain lights up when we hear a story. (If you have the time, I would suggest watching the video on that source link). So when we ingest a story, whether read or told over a good bowl of soup (I’m very pro soup, more people should have soup), our brains are making a connection to that story. Obviously, subject matter plays a part, but for the most part, if we are interested, our brain is making pathways that lead to us having feelings about that story.
Now, unfortunately, for the second point of the article, I am my own source, but hopefully, you get on board with it.
In my five years of being a trauma psychotherapist the most useful therapeutic tool that I found, especially when working with children and adolescents was narratives; more specifically, trauma narratives. We would work from hearing a mundane story all of the way towards being able to tell their own trauma narrative in some form. A lot of times trauma can cause a disconnect in feelings. By allowing them to tell their own stories they can relate and feel empathy for the main character- which is themselves. Storytelling was not only healing for them, but it allowed them a chance to understand their own complicated feelings.
We can take that same concept and apply it to others. For instance, there was a time when I didn’t understand the concept of systemic racism. I read “The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas and that gave me so much insight into not only systemic racism and what it looks like today but into a lot of other aspects of racism, I didn’t know existed. Simply reading one book, helped me to create new empathy and understanding in my brain for concepts that I couldn’t understand before. (Note: I am not claiming to understand racism because I do not. I am simply stating that that book helped me so see it a little bit clearer).
Now imagine we, as a society, used this method for anything that scared us, made us uncomfortable, or that we didn’t agree with. Hearing a story is not guaranteed to change your view on something, but it can provide more information about the side you oppose. More understanding leads to more empathy. More empathy leads to less negative or defensive emotional reactions.
Who has ever posted or shared something for one reason, but gotten attacked because someone assumed it was for a different reason? Yeah? Now, how might that situation have changed if they knew the story behind you posting it?
You can also invert the situation. Have you ever lashed out at someone for a comment that you might not have fully understood? Would hearing their story have changed your reaction?
Applying this concept to real life is the difficult part. So we start with fiction. We start with hearing stories that others have made up to make up feel some type of way. You do that enough, and soon you are eager and willing to hear any story.
Would 2021 have sucked less if people read more? Probably not. However, small changes are still changes. So, might you consider, next time you find yourself having a negative or defensive emotional reaction to something, ask to hear the story behind it first.
In the meantime, read more. Short, long, funny, sad, it doesn’t matter. Start working out your empathy muscles so when they need to lift the weight they can.
In conclusion, give more fucks.
