Study: Literary Fiction Offers Value in the Workplace by Developing Employees’ EQ
How can you help your team Members develop emotional intelligence? (Photo credit: AFGE on VisualHunt / CC BY)
Most companies encourage employees to read nonfiction books to gain knowledge, but research shows reading literary fiction can be more valuable for employees because novels help cultivate an elusive trait in the workplace: high emotional quotient.
“When it comes to reading, we may be assuming that reading for knowledge is the best reason to pick up a book. Research, however, suggests that reading fiction may provide far more important benefits than nonfiction,” wrote Christine Seifert in a recent article in Harvard Business Review. “For example, reading fiction predicts increased social acuity and a sharper ability to comprehend other people’s motivations. Reading nonfiction might certainly be valuable for collecting knowledge, it does little to develop EQ, a far more elusive goal.”
Seifert cited a 2013 research conducted by University of Toronto researchers involving 100 participants who were assigned to read either short stories (fiction) or essays (nonfiction) that were matched for length, reading difficulty, and interest. Results showed that participants who read fiction had a lower need for cognitive closure—defined as “the desire to reach a quick conclusion in decision-making and an aversion to ambiguity and confusion.”
People with High EQ
People who have a lower need for cognitive closure tend to be more thoughtful, creative, and comfortable in processing diverse information. These are traits of people with high emotional intelligence. Researchers concluded that reading literary fiction helped in “better processing of information generally, including those of creativity.” The effect was particularly strong for participants who were habitual readers.
Siefert’s article also cited the experience of a team in a nonprofit organization that read and discussed Nigerian author Chinua Achebe’s short story, “Dead Man’s Path,” about a headmaster who fails in his attempts to modernize a rural school. Team members who read and discussed the short story found a new “language” or context for discussing their own work. After the discussion, they were more willing to tackle tough questions at work, and that the story led them to ponder on things such as how to balance tradition with innovation and how people fail to see other people’s viewpoints.
Other studies have shown that literature helps readers cultivate empathy and critical thinking. These are traits that aren’t necessarily developed by reading nonfiction books and articles designed to provide facts and straightforward information.
So, corporate America, if you want better thinkers in the workplace, you have to help cultivate better readers. It might be time to exchange “How to Win Friends and Influence People” with “The Grapes of Wrath.”
Read Christine Seifert’s article on Harvard Business Review:
Read a related story:
13 Traits of Creative People—Also Likely to Be Most Hated in the Workplace
Photo credit: AFGE on VisualHunt / CC BY