How Reading Fiction Boosts Leaders' Self-Awareness

The following is an excerpt from my new book, I Know Myself and Neither Do You, an in-depth examination of the importance of self-awareness for leaders.

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” --President Harry S. Truman

One of the ways which can help leaders become more self-reflective and enhance self-awareness is to develop the habit of reading. A distinction must be made here. The positive effect is not as pronounced with non-fiction as it is with fiction.

When was the last time you read a good novel?

Reading fiction not only is a great recreational activity, it also slows cognitive decline.One study showed that older readers have a 32 % lower rate of mental decline compared to their peers who didn’t read. In addition to slower memory decline, those who read more have been found to show fewer characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2001 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  According to neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, focused reading uses about 42 calories per hour, whereas absorbing new information (e.g., scanning Twitter or the news headlines) burns around 65 calories per hour.

Research has found that reading novels improves our brain functions on a variety of levels, including the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes and flex your imagination. It also boosts our innovative thinking skills. Take it from Elon Musk, arguably one of the most innovative minds of our time. He's said that growing up, he spent more than 10 hours a day pouring through science fiction novels. In today’s rapidly changing world, innovation is necessary for any business to stay competitive.

What Are Some Other Benefits?

Reading fiction enhances creativity. Fiction often presents mystery uncertainty. In the movies, we often long for an anticipated if not certain happy ending. But fiction can be much more ambiguous. In that way, fiction enhances creativity. A study published in Creativity Research Journal asked students to read either a short fictional story or a non-fiction essay and then measured their emotional need for certainty and stability. Researchers discovered that the fiction readers had less need for “cognitive closure” than those who read non-fiction, and added: “These findings suggest that reading fictional literature could lead to better procedures of processing information generally, including those of creativity.”

Reading fiction can extend your life. Researcher Avi Bivishi and colleagues, writing in the journal Social Science and Medicine, reported reading a book for 30 minutes every day forecasts a sharper, healthier mind, which predicted a 20% lower odds of dying about a decade later.

Neuroscientists have discovered that reading a novel can improve brain function on a variety of levels. A recent study on the brain benefits of reading fiction was conducted at Emory University. The study titled, “Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain," was recently published in the journal Brain Connectivity. The researchers found that becoming engrossed in a novel enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. 

Reading Stories helps you become more inclusive, tolerant and open-minded. A study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, had tested whether the novels of Harry Potter could be used for improving tolerance. After three experiments in which students read passages of the books about discrimination, the students showed changed attitudes about everything from immigrants to gay students. The researchers concluded that young children, with the help of a teacher, “were able to understand that Harry’s frequent support of ‘mudbloods’ was an allegory towards bigotry in real-life society.” Also, in a 2019 study, researchers found that reading fiction modestly improved people’s capacity to understand and mentally react to other individuals and social situations, and by and large, that was after reading a single story.

Reading fiction makes you happier. A survey of 1,500 adult readers in the UK found that 76% of them said reading improves their life and helps to make them feel good. Other finds of the survey are that those who read books regularly are on average more satisfied with life, happier, and more likely to feel that the things they do in life are worthwhile.

Reading fiction makes you more likely to help others. A study by D.R. Johnson and colleagues, published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, found those people who regularly read fiction were more likely to be prosocial and help others in need.

Reading fiction helps you be less biased toward other cultures and races. A study by Dan R. Johnson and colleagues, published Basic and Social Psychology, concluded that those people who regularly read fiction about other cultures and ethnic groups lessened their racial stereotypes and biases.

The Value of “Deep Reading”

Research has identified something called “deep reading,” which is slow, immersive and reflective. It is in sharp contrast to superficial reading, such as what we do via social media platforms or emails and texting, which is quick and non-reflective.

Deep reading lends itself to fiction. The structure of the printed page is uniquely conducive to the deep reading experience. A book’s lack of hyperlinks, for example, frees the reader from making decisions — should I click on this link or not? — allowing the reader to remain fully immersed in the narrative.

The immersion fostered by deep reading is supported by the way the brain handles language rich in detail, allusion and metaphor: By creating a mental representation that draws on the same brain regions that would be active if the scene were unfolding in real life. The emotional situations and moral dilemmas in fictional stories put us inside the minds of fictional characters and even, as studies suggest, increases our real-life capacity for open-mindedness, empathy and compassion.

The deep reader, protected from distractions and attuned to the nuances of language, enters a state that psychologist Victor Nell, in his study of the psychology of pleasure reading, likens to a hypnotic trance. Nell found that when readers are enjoying the experience the most, the pace of their reading actually slows. The combination of fast, fluent decoding of words and slow, unhurried progress on the page gives deep readers time to enrich their reading with reflection, analysis, and their own memories and opinions. 

Leaders should regularly read novels as a way of strengthening their leadership skills. I recommend to my executive coaching leader clients that they undertake, if they have not done so already, regularly reading fiction as a way of improving well-being, learning how to slow down, understand others, and reduce stress. It has an added bonus of enhancing self-awareness.