People Who Read A Lot of Books Are Way Nicer, Kinder and Empathetic

What determines who we are, how we think, and how we behave towards others? Why are some people more compassionate, and others more or less indifferent to the needs of other people?

The nature/nurture (genetics/environment) debate has been roiling for centuries, perhaps millennia, without much movement one way or the other. Recently we’re starting to find studies of the brain functionality of self-described liberals and conservatives, in which it’s shown that the portion of our brains associated with fear and avoidance are far more easily stimulated in the latter than the former. It would seem that this is very much out of our control; rather, it’s the way we are “wired,” which is one of the many reasons it’s fruitless to get irritated with people of political persuasions that differ from our own.

OK, well how did we get wired that way? Is there anything we can do to change that (presuming we might want to)?

As suggested in the title above, there is a correlation between reading and compassion. This is interesting, though it’s not clear what it means, especially insofar as correlation doesn’t imply causation. Sure, it’s posssible that reading stories about people who find themselves in a variety of difficult circumstances makes us more sympathetic, making us more aware of the “human condition.” But it’s also possible that kind people are drawn to read such stories, or that some third characteristic is causing both compassion and an affinity for reading.

In any case, it seems clear that both reading and kindness are good things, regardless of any causality involved.  Let’s go for it.