According to Hayley Mick, from the Globe and Mail, “A group of Toronto researchers have compiled a body of evidence showing that bookworms have exceptionally strong people skills,” but this only applies if you read fiction.
very interesting article. i think reading fiction definitely helps people develop empathy and understanding of different personality types. hmm. :-) the questions raised about genre are thought-provoking- scifi vs. literary fiction. the stereotype of scifi readers doesn't really stack up well with the thesis of the article, but then again social skills and empathy are two different things :-)
Yeah, I'm not so sure about "exceptional people skills" myself, as I'm of the "I'd rather stay home and read a good book than go to a party" school of thought myself, but empathy I can see.
Hmm, I must not be reading right because no one has ever accused me of having *exceptional* people skills ... of course they probably don't take into account parenting issues that counteract the reading.
*wonders if she can work this "exceptional people skills thing" into her job-hunt somehow*
very interesting article. i think reading fiction definitely helps people develop empathy and understanding of different personality types. hmm. :-) the questions raised about genre are thought-provoking- scifi vs. literary fiction. the stereotype of scifi readers doesn't really stack up well with the thesis of the article, but then again social skills and empathy are two different things :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm not so sure about "exceptional people skills" myself, as I'm of the "I'd rather stay home and read a good book than go to a party" school of thought myself, but empathy I can see.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I must not be reading right because no one has ever accused me of having *exceptional* people skills ... of course they probably don't take into account parenting issues that counteract the reading.
ReplyDelete*wonders if she can work this "exceptional people skills thing" into her job-hunt somehow*
:-)