Social Know-How In Eyes of Fiction

Thought I would end the year with a little fun. Recent studies suggest that people who read fiction might be better at understanding others. In fact, regular readers of fiction may be better at social interaction than non-fiction readers (or heavens-forbid non-readers).

In one study, psychologists assessed the reading habits of 94 adults. They then tested the volunteers on two types of social skills--emotion perception and social cognition. For emotion perception, the volunteers were given a test whereby they were required to discern a person's emotional state from photographs of just the eyes. You can find that test here. Please try it--I'd like to know whether you are a fiction reader and how you scored. I am a sometimes fiction reader, but definitely I consume way more non-fiction than any other genre. I scored 26, which is average.

In the second test, participants answered questions about video clips of individuals interacting. The researchers found that the more fiction people read, the better they were at perceiving emotion in the eyes and, to a lesser extent, correctly interpreting social cues. These results drew the first strong connection between reading fiction and social skills.

Since this study was published in 2006, more research has been done in the area showing that regular fiction readers perform better in understanding social cues and interactions. Kooky huh? But it makes sense. Essentially, scientists believe, fiction allows the reader to immerse him or herself into a story. It is in the unfolding of story, that the reader gets to understand human emotions, and thus can extrapolate this understanding to the world around them.

There was a time when scientists thought the opposite--that reading fiction could do little to help people understand others, because it was made up. Uh uh...good fiction is understanding human emotions, because without them a good story is rarely told. We are emotional beings, and so we resonate with the human condition.

Yes, these results make sense to me, although I would have never thought about it one way or another before I heard of the above test and findings. G'head...take the test. See how you do and report back. I'd like to know. Happy New Year.

Dads Are Key to Making Us Human

While most mammals have very little interaction with their offspring, human fathers are an integral part of their children's upbringing; and this relationship, scientists believe, is what makes us unique, what makes us human.

Most popular theories on the role of the father have him as a protector of the young, and while this is true, fathers also play an important role in the optimum development of psychological and emotional traits considered to be primarily human, such as empathy, emotional control and the ability to navigate complex social relationships. This is uniquely human, as 95% of male mammals end their interactions at conception.

Prolonged human male interaction has important consequences to child development. While most other primates mature within 10 years, humans need 18-20 years before they can fend for themselves. The more involved a father is in family upbringing, research shows, the later sexual maturity develops in the child. In homes where fathers are absent, girls reach menarche sooner and form clingy relationships, while boys become aggressive and sexually exploitive.

The way fathers interact with children influences how they function as adults. For instance, as a result of possibly worrying about children's financial future, fathers across cultures tend to give advice, encourage academic success and stress achievement. And father's play tends to be on the rough side, riling up kids to the point of snapping, and then calming them down, which is believed to develop emotional control in children. As a result of his interactions, a father's presence in the family correlates with improved health and decreased child mortality, increased emotional security and sexual maturity, and enhanced social skills.

Fathers also play an indirect role in the development of their grandchildren. As social skills develop in the child, increasing social standing, their parenting skills develop and the grandchildren benefit. Good fathering skills, then, can be passed down through generations--quite the responsibility. And finally, the more fathers help mothers following childbirth, the sooner mom becomes fertile, ensuring a bigger brood. Evolutionarily speaking, this is an advantage, as bigger families can become more powerful.

So celebrate fatherhood, dads--you are an essential part of your family's dynamics and the development of your children. Without dads we simply wouldn't be human.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Grandparents: Positive Force for Children

Grandparents are a positive force for families going through difficult times, like separation or divorce. Spending time with grandma or grandpa can help kids with social skills or behavior, especially kids from single parent households, so says a new study published in the February issue of the Journal of Family Psychology.

Researchers from the The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Oxford, and the University of London interviewed 11-to 16-year olds from England and Wales and found that the more conversations youths had with grandparents, the greater they got along with peers, and the less problems they had with hyperactivity and disruptive behavior. According to the study's lead author, Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz:

"Grandparents are a positive force for all families but play a significant role in families undergoing difficulties. They can reduce the negative influence of parents separating and be a resource for children who are going through these family changes. This was found across all three family structures, but adolescents in single-parent households and stepfamilies benefited the most. The effect of their grandparents' involvement was stronger compared to children from two biological parent families."

These finding have especially strong implications for the U.S. where grandparents are increasingly living in households with their grandchildren. A 2004 US Census Bureau survey found that more than 5 million households include a grandparent and a grandchild under 18, up 30% since 1990.

This is interesting and important information in a country where the divorce rate is estimated to be around 41%. Knowing that grandparents can play such a critical role in the lives of children is enormous, and should place much more value in our older generations; especially since, as people age, they are often devalued by our youth-obsessed society. If you are a single or divorced parent, make sure that your children are spending lots of quality time with the grandfolks--it'll be healthy for them all.