Empathy—the capacity to understand and share the feelings of others—is a fundamental human quality that underpins social interaction, cooperation, and moral development. In recent years, scholars, educators, and psychologists have increa...
Faglig kvalitetssikret av lærere og toppstudenter · Følger læreplanen (LK20) · Sist oppdatert 2026-07-23
Empathy—the capacity to understand and share the feelings of others—is a fundamental human quality that underpins social interaction, cooperation, and moral development. In recent years, scholars, educators, and psychologists have increasingly examined how reading fiction contributes to the development of empathy. Unlike nonfiction, which focuses on information and facts, fiction immerses readers in the lives, thoughts, and emotions of characters, often from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Through narrative engagement, readers come to inhabit experiences vastly different from their own, making fiction a powerful tool for expanding emotional intelligence and fostering social understanding. This essay explores how and why reading fiction builds empathy, drawing on psychological research, literary theory, and real-world examples.
Narrative Transportation and Emotional Engagement
A key reason why fiction fosters empathy lies in what psychologists call "narrative transportation"—the process by which readers become mentally and emotionally absorbed in a story. When readers are transported into a fictional world, they experience events alongside the characters, sharing in their joys, fears, losses, and hopes. This immersive quality allows readers to temporarily set aside their own worldview and adopt someone else's.
For example, reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck invites readers to empathize with marginalized individuals like Lennie, a mentally disabled man, and George, his loyal companion. Despite the story's tragic ending, readers often come away with a deeper understanding of loneliness, disability, and the human need for connection. The emotional engagement generated by fiction leads not just to sympathy but to genuine empathy—the ability to feel with, rather than just for, another person. …