@article {Djikic:2013:2210-4372:28,
title = "Reading other minds: Effects of literature on empathy",
journal = "Scientific Study of Literature",
parent_itemid = "infobike://jbp/ssol",
publishercode ="jbp",
year = "2013",
volume = "3",
number = "1",
publication date ="2013-01-01T00:00:00",
pages = "28-47",
itemtype = "ARTICLE",
issn = "2210-4372",
eissn = "2210-4380",
url = "https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/jbp/ssol/2013/00000003/00000001/art00006",
doi = "doi:10.1075/ssol.3.1.06dji",
keyword = "literature, perspective taking, art, theory of mind, empathy",
author = "Djikic, Maja and Oatley, Keith and Moldoveanu, Mihnea C.",
abstract = "The potential of literature to increase empathy was investigated in an experiment. Participants (N = 100, 69 women) completed a package of questionnaires that measured lifelong exposure to fiction and nonfiction, personality traits, and affective and cognitive empathy. They read either
an essay or a short story that were equivalent in length and complexity, were tested again for cognitive and affective empathy, and were finally given a non-self-report measure of empathy. Participants who read a short story who were also low in Openness experienced significant increases in
self-reported cognitive empathy (p .05). No increases in affective empathy were found. Participants who were frequent fiction-readers had higher scores on the non-self-report measure of empathy. Our results suggest a role for fictional literature in facilitating development of empathy.",
}