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Cat Videos Help Us Lick the Blues

And you thought your coworkers were just being silly and wasting time. Turns out they were instilling positive emotions throughout the office! Yes, an Indiana University researcher has discovered that watching cat videos is actually good for us. (Sigh, make joke about academia here.)Cat video viewing is more than a procrastinator's tool, says assistant professor Jessica Gall Myrick, Ph.D. Theyboost our energy and positive emotions and decrease negative feelings, she said after surveying the moods of almost 7,000 cat video viewers. Her study results were published in Computers in Human Behavior.One internet feline phenomenon, Lil Bub, even helped with the research. Bub's owner, this is, Mike Bridavsky, who lives in Bloomington, home of Indiana University, helped distributed the survey via social media."Some people may think watching online cat videos isn't a serious enough topic for academic research, but the fact is that it's one of the most popular uses of the Internet today," Jessica told IU's news agency about why she chose the topic.More than 2 million cat videos were posted on YouTube in 2014, she says. With almost 26 billion views, cat videos had more views per video than any other YouTube content category.Among study highlights of cat video viewers:They were more energetic and felt more positive after watching cat-related online media than before.They had fewer negative emotions, such as anxiety, annoyance and sadness, after watching cat-related online media than before.They often view Internet cats at work or during studyingThe pleasure they got from watching cat videos outweighed any guilt they felt about procrastinating."Even if they are watching cat videos on YouTube to procrastinate or while they should be working, the emotional pay-off may actually help people take on tough tasks afterward," says Jessica, who owns a pug but no cats.So, if you've got something important to do now, wait and watch a cat video first. You may feel better for it afterward. Your work will still be there.Important research, or, um, an epic waste of time. You can be the judge.Jim Gold is a veteran journalist who splits his time between Seattle and the Bay Area.

Gossip: bad habit or good for the group?

relationships

Go Ahead and Gossip

Reading gossip magazines is the highlight of many visits to the doctor’s office or hair salon. The private lives of others compel us. But we are often embarrassed to admit we subscribe to InTouch or visit PerezHilton.com daily. Society largely views gossip as a negative and immoral pastime. Colonial America punished gossips by forcing them to wear helmets that resembled iron cages with metal prods that jutted into the tongue. And in Jewish tradition, gossip (lashon hara) is considered a serious sin. But new research reveals that gossip can sometimes be a good thing. And it may be an integral part of how we cooperate. For the good of the group Economists and social scientists study why people work together in groups and pool resources even when they might benefit more if they acted selfishly. They have discovered that the possibility of being the target of gossip and consequently shunned from the group may motivate people to act in a more selfless, prosocial way. A team of Stanford University researchers, including Matthew Feinberg, Ph.D., who is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto,tested the theory by asking students to play an online game where different players contributed to a community pot. The students were given the opportunity to gossip about other players, and could even choose to shun a player based on the gossip reports. If a player was stingy in one round of the game and her fellow players gossiped about her and shunned her, she became much more generous in subsequent rounds. She cooperated. No one wants to be the pariah “When people were ostracized, they learned their lesson,” Feinberg said. The ability to kick people out of the next rounds of the game had the largest effect, spurring the most generosity. When kicking a player out of the game was a possibility, players gave much more freely. In some cases, Feinberg says, it seems that gossiping is a good thing for the group. “Sometimes we gossip out of real concern for our friends. We want to warn them of bad actors and immoral characters so they won’t be victimized.” Gossip is good? Sharing this kind of information promotes the good of the community around us. So at least in this case, gossip is considered prosocial. It’s a good thing. Prosocial gossip has a potential added bonus. It not only serves to report the facts of an event, but it also conveys what the gossiper thinks is morally correct. It communicates her moral code. If my coworker tells me that the boss takes his wife out every Friday on the company credit card, she’s not only telling me what happened, but she also implies that she disagrees with it. She believes that to be crossing an ethical line in the workplace. Feinberg and his colleagues are working on studies documenting gossip’s role in communicating morality. The darker side But, as we all know, there is another side to gossip. Tabloid magazines don’t add much to the collective morality of our communities. “If we’re spreading information within a moral domain, that’s one thing. But if we’re talking about looks or something a person can’t control that’s really a form of bullying,” Feinberg said. According to Feinberg, his study is not a permission to speak ill of others. He warns, even if we gossip for the right, prosocial reasons, it’s highly likely the target of that gossip might not like it. “Gossip is probably in the eye of the beholder.” Do you gossip among friends? Let us know what you think in the comments section, below! Meredith Knight is a science journalist based in Austin, Texas.

work

6 Quick Tips for a Job Happiness Makeover

With approximately one-third of our waking hours spent at work—and another third presumably spent thinking about it—there’s no question that where, how and with whom we work plays a significant role in our overall well-being. “Being happy at work is key to being happy in life,” notes Shane Lopez, Ph.D., Gallup senior scientist and research director at Clifton Strengths Institute. “Lots of different domains in our life hinge on it. If that work domino doesn’t fall into place, it’s hard to make the most of your relationships or be your best self. So you have to make sure you’re as happy as possible at work.” Gallup’s numbers show that only 30 percent of U.S. workers are truly engaged and like their jobs. Of those, a mere 1 percent claim to love their jobs. Of the other 70 percent, about 40 percent say they are not engaged at work, and 30 percent are actively disengaged. Maybe you used to love your job, but the thrill is gone. Or maybe you never felt much love for it to begin with. Regardless, there are many ways to improve things. Kerry Hannon, author of the new book, Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness, columnist for The New York Times and AARP’s Job Expert, offers the following tips: Take a moment; take a breath Mindfulness and other forms of meditation have been found to be extremely effective in helping relieve stress and can change the way you feel about your situation. Read about the new movement in workplace wellness. Remove the toxins Avoid engaging in negative conversations, gossip and backbiting. Volunteer Doing something for someone else will make you more grateful for your own situation. Many companies offer volunteer opportunities, or you can look for a cause you feel particularly passionate about. Learn Keeping your brain stimulated can help improve your feelings about your job. Don’t have time for a class after work? Set Google alerts for your area of work so you can keep up with industry trends. It may give you new ideas for innovating on the job. Focus on the positive Keep a work journal, and each day write down one thing you did well or that went right. It will make for great reading on days when you’re feeling down. Laugh Gallup polls show that people who laugh and smile are more engaged at work. Read about how coworkers at Hallmark let loose and have fun together.

work

Get Optimism to Go Viral in 3 Easy Steps

Even for the most positive among us, contact with an infectiously negative person can change our mood and outlook on life. At work, toxicity has the potential to dramatically alter the culture. With mountains of data connecting negativity and stress at work to poor health, lower engagement and dwindling profits, negative people have become some of the biggest liabilities in today’s modern economy. Engaging bright side But our research in positive psychology shows an energizing picture: In fact, we have identified the key to influencing an organization’s culture and pushing it into positive territory. By activating what we call the Hidden 31, you have the power—no matter your role at an organization—to rescript the culture at work to enhance talent and achievement. In a cross-industry study with Training magazine, we found that a whopping 31 percent of respondents say that they are “positive but not expressive of it at work.” These people are one step short of being champions of positivity. These optimists are just waiting to be activated, and they are your key to success.https://livehappy.com/blogs/happiness-motion/be-happy-work Read more about what makes for a happier workplace. Air your positivity We are all broadcasters, constantly sharing information with others. What we choose to broadcast predicts happiness and success for all. It’s the focus of Michelle’s upcoming book, Broadcasting Happiness. To overcome the debilitating signals of negative people, it is important to be highly expressive of our own positive mindsets and can-do attitudes and to activate others to do the same. We are often asked whether positive people or negative people have a more powerful influence on a group. The answer from the research is neither. The people who have the most power to influence are the ones who are most verbally or nonverbally expressive of their mindset. Too often, the very vocal negative person writes the social script at work. By broadcasting our optimism, we can tip our companies, families and friendships to positive. Get others to do it, and great transformation can occur. Read our expert tips about avoiding burnout at work. The key is to get the Hidden 31 to speak up. We’ve identified three steps to do this: identify, acknowledge and activate. Identify The most important step is finding out who is in the 31 percent. This can be done through formal surveys or informal conversations. Ask where they stand on a topic and note how expressive they are of their approval or disapproval. Too often managers we have worked with focus on converting the most pessimistic person in the room to be positive. Instead, focus energy on those already primed to be positive broadcasters. Acknowledge The best way to get someone to be more expressive of positive positions is to let them know that they are not alone. If you are a positive person but feel like the people around you are not, you might not act. The research shows that plenty of others around you at work actually are positive, even if they are not expressing it. Once you acknowledge that a third of the people around you are also optimists, it can engender positive change. Activate Activating even a few optimists can tip the culture in your favor. You can activate them in two main ways. First, boost your own signal. As you demonstrate positivity verbally and nonverbally, you change the conversation and show others how to do the same in a rational way. Second, after identifying the Hidden 31, give them easy ways to express their positive mindsets. Suggest sending a positive email praising a colleague or sharing goals with their team that they are excited about. Starting with small steps gives even the introverts safe ways to express their positivity. While this strategy works well for companies and business teams, it works at the family dinner table, too. Customers can also become “enthusiasts,” spreading the word about the product or service they appreciate. And sports teams can recruit and develop the Hidden 31, thereby tipping balances to winning mindsets. If you identify, acknowledge and activate the Hidden 31 by giving people clear ways to express their positive mindsets, you can inspire optimism and happiness to go viral. And that makes it much easier for us all to live happy. What motivates you at work? Let us know in the comments section, below. SHAWN ACHOR is the New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Advantageand Before Happiness. After he spent 12 years at Harvard University, Shawn traveled to more than 50 countries,bringing positive psychology to schools and companies. He is co-founder of the happiness research and consulting groupGoodthink Inc. MICHELLE GIELAN is an expert on the science of positive communication and how to use it to fuel success. She holds a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and is co-founder of the happiness research and consulting groupGoodthink Inc.Her first book is called Broadcasting Happiness.

Reading

10 Life-Changing Books That Stay With You

There are books that entertain, books that inform ... books that speak to the brain, the mind, the intellect and the emotions. And then there are books that seem to speak directly to the soul—life-changing books that make you question your core beliefs, staying with you long after you've finished reading. These 10 masterpieces fall into the second category. Each is a pleasure to read, a treasure to ponder, and ultimately changes something deep inside of you - just for having experienced it. 1. The Alchemist By: Paulo Coelho Year: 1988 Synopsis: Originally published in Portuguese, this inspiring tale of self-discovery follows Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. But his quest takes him in a different - and far more satisfying - direction, to learn how to listen to his heart and follow his dreams. That something special: Easy to read and highly descriptive, this masterpiece will inspire you to brave the path to pursuing your dreams - just like Santiago. 2. The Artist's Way By: Julia Cameron Year: 1992 Synopsis: Essentially a self-help workbook on creativity, this life-changing book coaxes readers along a spiritual, rtistic path. With tasks to complete at the end of each chapter, reading this book is a dynamic affair. That special something: Deep and yet simple, this book has the power to flip the creativity switch in anyone - from accountants to athletes and everywhere in between. 3. Life of Pi By: Yann Martel Year: 2001 Synopsis: Pi Patel is the son of a zookeeper, with an encyclopedic knowledge of animals and a taste for philosophy. While immigrating to North America from India with his family, their ship sinks - and Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger - or does he? What follows is a fantastical tale of intrigue and adventure. That special something: While this is not a book about religion, it does tell a tale about the importance of believing in something - be it God, Mother Nature, or your own strength. 4. The Road Less Traveled By: M.Scott Peck Year: 1978 Synopsis: A cross of psychology and spirituality, this non-fiction book is packed with insight and wisdom about the attributes that make for a fulfilled person. With an eloquent examination of complex, human concepts such as discipline and love, Peck theorizes four distinct stages of human spiritual development along the path to self-realization. That special something: This quote says it all: Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and wisdom. 5. The History of Love By: Nicole Kraus Year: 2005 Synopsis: This beautiful book-within-a-book tells the story of Leo Gursky and the love of his life, Alma. With an adventure across oceans and decades, the novel is fueled by the thrill of mystery and joy of connection. That special something: This book will leave you thinking about Leo and Alma nonstop for days after you finish it - and while the story will fade from the front of your mind, it will never really leave you. 6. Conversations with God By: Neil Donald Walsch Year: 1995 Synopsis: The full name of this trilogy of books is Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue and it is indeed an uncommon dialogue. The entire series is a captivating back and forth conversation between the author and - on topics ranging from religion and spirituality to education, love and politics. That special something: Regardless of your beliefs, these inspired and inspirational books will challenge you to think about the world around you and your own existence. 7. The Giving Tree By: Shel Silverstein Year: 1964 Synopsis: The Giving Tree is the beautiful, poignant story of a tree who loved a little boy. The tree loves the boy and does anything she can for him as he grows older - without regard for what she’s getting in return. That something special: Ostensibly a children’s book, this parable has a clear message for readers of all ages - about the gift of giving, and accepting different the ways in with others return affection. 8. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience By: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Year: 2013 Synopsis: Csikszentmihalyi studies over the past two decades have revealed that is what makes life experiences genuinely satisfying—a feel of deep concentration, immersion and absorption. This classic work on happiness touches on contemporary psychology, delving into issues such as family, art and sport to ultimately answer the question - how do we make our lives meaningful? That special something: This life-changing book will help you to identify when you’re really happy—and channel the to maximize those good vibes. 9. Sophie's World By: Jostein Gaarder Year: 1991. Synopsis: A novel and a philosophical work in one, this life-changing book tells the story of Sophie Amundsen, a teenage girl living in Norway, and Alberto Knox, the middle-aged philosopher who introduces her to philosophy. That special something: Who are you? and Where does the world come from? are the two cardinal questions that Sophie has to answer. You’ll ponder them too. 10: The Red Tent By: Anita Diamant Year: 1997 Synopsis: This novel imagines the compelling story of Dinah - daughter of Leah and Jacob and sister of Joseph. Building on hints in the Book of Genesis, the author writes about the lives of women in biblical times, touching on mothers and daughters, midwifery, love, and living in a foreign land. That special something: Strongly feminist and deeply touching, this story will change the way you think of biblical times.

work

Know Your Pace

What makes people happy at work? Many things: a friend down the hall, a good boss, meaningful tasks, snazzy office supplies.We’re also affected by whether we feel in harmony with the speed and timing of work. People generally fall into two very different categories when it comes to thriving at work. I call these two categories “Marathoners” and “Sprinters.”Slow and steady workersMarathoners like to work steadily and slowly, over a longer period of time, and they dislike working against a deadline. I know this category well, because I’m a Marathoner myself. We Marathoners feel that working on projects at a steady pace ignites our creativity and keeps our productivity high. We get frustrated and uneasy without plenty of lead time.Find out about 8 Ways to Be Happier at Work.A rush of energyBy contrast, Sprinters prefer to work in bursts of intense effort, and they deliberately wait for the pressure of a deadline to sharpen their thinking. They love the adrenaline rush. A Sprinter told me, “I never prepare a speech until the people are in their seats, and I’m heading to the podium. It drives my staff crazy, but that’s when I get my ideas.”There’s no right way—each approach works well for that type of person. It’s a question of what works for you. Problems arise, however, when Marathoners and Sprinters must work together. Marathoners are driven nuts by the Sprinters’ reluctance to start working on a project. Sprinters are irritated when Marathoners want to tackle tasks before the hour is ripe.Read more about the new science of workplace well-being.Procrastinator—that's a different storyWhen we understand that people have different work styles, we can show more patience toward each other. Here’s something important to remember, however: A Sprinter is different from a Procrastinator. True, Procrastinators resemble Sprinters—like Sprinters, they finish in a rush, at the last possible minute. But they’re actually quite different.Procrastinators wish they could force themselves to start earlier. Also, unlike Sprinters, Procrastinators often agonize about work they’re not yet doing. Before they start, they’re not working, but they’re not having fun, either. Sprinters and Marathoners usually like their work style, but Procrastinators don’t. They’re happier when they change their work habits so they can work more steadily.Learn how to increase your productivity by tricking yourself into getting started.Find the pace that works for youFor all of us, we’re happier at work—and we’re more productive and creative—when we’re comfortable with the environment and pace. It can be surprisingly hard to put your finger on what feels right or wrong about a situation. So, if you find yourself clashing with other people about when and how a task should be completed, or you feel that the work pace is uncomfortable, consider the Marathoner and Sprinter distinction. That difference in work style might be at the heart of the conflict.What's your work pace? Let us know in the Comments section, below.Gretchen Rubin is the bestselling author ofThe Happiness Project,Happier at Home,andBetter than Before.She is considered one of the most influential writers on happiness today, and has become an in-demand speaker and keynoter.You can read about Gretchen's adventures atGretchenRubin.com.

work

Love Well to Live Well

People are living longer than ever. In fact, I just saw a TV news report about a woman celebrating her 116th birthday who, until recently, was still mowing her own lawn. Exuding more vitality than many folks half her age, she made me wonder: What contributes to healthy aging well into our golden years—and perhaps even our centenarian years? I decided to speak to Harvard psychiatrist George Vaillant, who has unveiled some of the determinants of aging well, having spent more than half of his life at the helm of the Grant Study of Adult Development. One of the longest-running studies on human development, the Grant Study has closely tracked the emotional and physical health of 268 Harvard men as they agedsince 1938. Habits, not heredity, are more important for health George has documented the findings of the Grant Study in three illuminating books. His first book, 1977’s Adaptation to Life, the now-classic tome on adult development, examined how the men were coping up to age 55 and identified various positive and negative outcomes. Aging Well followed 25 years later and showed that healthy physical and emotional aging from 55 to 80 is less dependent on genes and more on lifestyle choices, such as avoiding alcohol and tobacco abuse, engaging in regular light exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, exhibiting an adaptive coping style and having a loving marriage. Now, George's latest book, Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study, published more than 75 years after the study’s start, follows a few dozen of the surviving men who are now in their 90s. Many of them, like the centenarian woman I mentioned earlier, are thriving far beyond conventional retirement. So what’s their secret? “Habits formed before age 50, not heredity, are more important for growing old gracefully, well into our 90s and beyond,” George says. All you need is love However, even more important for positive aging and coping with stress is having warm, nurturing relationships. “Relationships can help us recover from a damaging past such as the bleakest of childhoods even many decades later,” George says. What’s more, strong bonds formed early in life have a protective factor down the road. He’s found that positive emotions, namely love, is the key ingredient for healthy aging well into our golden years and beyond. “Having had a loving and stable marriage at 50 predicted mental and physical health at 80 better than did either exercise or weight,” he says. “Visceral things like the positive emotions of love, hope and joy affect our health.” In fact, the effect of positive emotion on our nervous system is similar to the relaxation response triggered through meditation. Positive emotions, like love, reduce our basal metabolism, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and muscle tension, all leading to better health. In other words, love can literally heal and strengthen our heart. One simple way of reaping heart health benefits and aging well is it to put ourselves into the loving embrace of others on a daily basis, George says, because not only does “heartfelt” love feel good, but also it's good for us. And, who knows, perhaps it'll lead us to be thriving at 116 as well! Read more about the power of love on our well-being here. Suzann Pileggi Pawelski, MAPP, is a freelance writer specializing in the science of happiness and its effects on relationships and health. She and her husband, James Pawelski, will be presenting their "Romance and Research" workshop at the 3rd Congress: Spaces of Thought and Action in Psychology in Graz, Austria, May 28-June 1, as well as at IPPA's 4th World Congress on Positive Psychology in Orlando, Florida, June 25-28.

Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology Fans Gather for Conference

Positive psychology scholars, students and practitioners will review the field's latest research and science-based applications at the Fourth World Congress of the International Positive Psychology Association on June 25-28, in Florida. Biggest names in the field Martin Seligman, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania professor known as the father of positive psychology, and Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., Harvard University happiness professor, will open the conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Lake Buena Vista, with talks about the cutting edge in research and teaching. Other featured presenters among dozens invited include Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., research director at the HeartMath Institute in Boulder Creek, California, on heart-brain dynamics, and Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., University of North Carolina professor and author of Love 2.0, on "Positivity Resonates." A range of discussions Conference session topics range from eudaimonic well‐being to the effects and global reach of positive psychology. "You will be able to tap into the intellectual energy of a thriving global community," says congress chair Kim Cameron, Ph.D., a University of Michigan professor. The conference offers networking events such as special-interest group lunches and receptions, he says. You can click here to peruse the programor register online. The conference fee is $800 for professionals, $325 for students. Discounts are available for International Positive Psychology Association members. Live Happy in action If you come, look for Live Happy COO Deborah Heisz and Science Editor Paula Felps; they will be speaking on two separate panels. We will also have a Happiness Wall and a Live Happy Booth. See you there! Jim Gold is a veteran journalist who splits his time between Seattle and the Bay Area.

Self-Care

5 Strategies to Make You More Productive

Whether we love or hate our jobs, the amount of work most of us have to do each day has reached unsustainable levels. We start a typical workday anxious about how we will get it all done, who we might let down and which important tasks we will sacrifice—again—so we can keep our heads above water. As we grab our first cups of coffee, we check our e-mail in-boxes on our handheld devices, scanning to see who has added a new task to our to-do list. The stress builds as we read e-mail after e-mail, each containing a request that we know can’t be dealt with quickly. We mark these e-mails as unread and save them for . . . “later.” We mentally add them to the piles of work left undone the night before (when we left our offices much too late). More e-mails to answer, more phone calls to return, more paperwork to fill out. And everything needs our immediate attention. Attention deficit In fact, too many things need our attention before we can even get to the tasks that really matter—and too many things matter. We frequently work all day long—at the office and then at home, taking care of our families, cleaning up, paying bills—sometimes only stopping to sleep. There simply isn’t enough time, but so much always needs to be done. Work with your biology, not against it The key to achieving fantastic levels of effectiveness is to work with our biology. We may all be capable of impressive feats of comprehension, motivation, emotional control, problem solving, creativity and decision-making when our biological systems are functioning optimally. But we can be terrible at those very same things when our biological systems are suboptimal. The amount of exercise and sleep we get and the food we eat can greatly influence these mental functions in the short term—even within hours. The mental functions we engage in just prior to tackling a task can also have a powerful effect on whether we accomplish that task. Follow the science Research findings from the fields of psychology and neuroscience are revealing a great deal about when and how we can set up periods of highly effective mental functioning. In my book, Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work DoneI share in detail five deceptively simple strategies that I have found are the most successful in helping busy people create the conditions for at least two hours of incredible productivity each day: 1. Recognize your decision points Once you start a task, you run largely on autopilot, which makes it hard to change course. Maximize the power of those moments in between tasks—that’s when you can choose what to take on next, and can therefore decide to tackle what matters most. 2. Manage your mental energy Tasks that need a lot of self-control or focused attention can be depleting, and tasks that make you highly emotional can throw you off your game. Schedule tasks based on their processing demand and recovery time. 3. Stop fighting distractions Learn to direct your attention. Your attention systems are designed to wander and refresh, not to focus indefinitely. Trying to fight that is like trying to fight the ocean tides. Understanding how your brain works will help you get back on track quickly and effectively when you get distracted. 4. Leverage your mind–body connection Move your body and eat in ways that set you up for success in the short term. (You can eat and physically do whatever you want on your downtime.) 5. Make your workspace work for you Learn what environmental factors help you be on top of your game—and how to adjust your environment accordingly. Once you know what distracts you or what primes your brain to be in creating or risk-taking modes, you can adjust your environment for productivity. Reap the rewards These strategies, derived from neuroscience and psychology, may sound simple; some may even seem like common sense. But we rarely employ them. Understanding the science behind them helps us know what’s worth acting on and how to do so within the constraints we have. We can all learn to deploy them regularly and consciously with powerful results. While I believe that you can accomplish great things under the right conditions, I’m not suggesting you’ll be able to get all your work done in just two awesome hours. I do think, however, that when you are mentally effective, you can accomplish whatever matters most to you at that moment, with pride in your work and inspiration to do more. Working in tandem with our biology—setting up the conditions for a couple of hours of peak productivity—allows us not only to focus on the tasks that are most important to us and our success but also to restore some sanity and balance to our lives.

Positive Psychology

Does Reading Fiction Make Us Nicer?

For lovers of fiction, reading is often an escape. It’s a chance to get outside of our own heads and move into someone else’s personal experience. We don’t just follow Scarlett O’Hara as she takes down her drapes to create a new dress and the façade of wealth, we identify with her pride and feel her determination in the pits of our stomachs. We empathize with her character.The empathetic leapThat heightened emotional connection moves beyond the page and into our real lives, according to social scientists at the New School in New York City. People who read literary fiction before a test to identify emotions in other people’s faces did better than subjects who read non-fiction or popular fiction, the researchers stated in a study published in the scientific journal Science.David Comer Kidd, who did the research, said this was likely because people reading literary fiction had to fill in gaps about the emotional content of characters in the stories.Theory of MindFiction is an exercise in what psychologists call Theory of Mind. This is our ability to understand other people’s emotions and reasoning and realize that they are different from our own. When we read fiction we understand what the characters know, how they are feeling at various points in the story, and what about their experiences are causing them to feel that way.“When you tell people to pay attention to other people’s subjective experiences, they do better at identifying emotions in other people,” Kidd said. Fiction is a shortcut to getting people to pay attention.Putting yourself in someone else’s shoesEmpathy is another way to think about Theory of Mind, but instead of just identifying emotions in others, we also feel a little bit of that emotion or a related one.Although one might think we use Theory of Mind constantly in our daily interactions, Kidd said that many of our social experiences are basically scripted by manners and social norms. We don’t need to recruit our knowledge of other people’s emotions to buy a jug of milk at the store, for example, or respond to most professional email.But in some circumstances it’s very important to consider what other people are thinking and feeling, especially when making decisions about morality and our deep personal relationships.“Theory of Mind plays a big role when we’re trying to decide if an action is going to hurt someone else’s feelings or if we’re trying to figure out why someone has hurt our feelings,” Kidd said. “Was that person trying to be a jerk, or was something else going on with them?”Fiction increases emotional intelligenceLiterary fiction probably increases people’s capacity for understanding what other people are thinking because there are gaps both in the story’s narrative and in the characters' emotional lives compared to non-fiction or some popular fiction, which is more explicit in laying out characters emotional life. You have to work harder to fill in those gaps yourself.Story lines force us to be active in our empathyKidd and his colleagues are working to home in on the specific qualities of a story, play or film that forces us to use our Theory of Mind and boosts our empathetic capabilities.“It seems like what really matters is an active versus passive approach,” Kidd said.Other research has shown that people who read fiction feel more socially connected and have larger social support systems than those who don’t, challenging the idea of the lonely bookworm. Increased empathy may be a cognitive and emotional link between fiction and social interactions.Read more about the social importance of book clubs.But, Kidd cautions, this does not mean that people who don’t read literary fiction have little empathy or are interpersonally deficient. Rather, that reading fiction can nudge one’s empathetic capability to be more active.So the next time you find yourself in a tricky interpersonal situation, it might be worth thinking through the point of view of others as if they were characters in your favorite novel before deciding on a course of action.What would Elizabeth Bennet do?Meredith Knight is a freelance science writer based in Austin, Texas.

Cat Videos Help Us Lick the Blues

6 Quick Tips for a Job Happiness Makeover

Get Optimism to Go Viral in 3 Easy Steps

10 Life-Changing Books That Stay With You

Know Your Pace

Love Well to Live Well

Positive Psychology Fans Gather for Conference

5 Strategies to Make You More Productive

Does Reading Fiction Make Us Nicer?

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