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How Does Fiction Reading Influence Empathy? An Experimental Investigation on the Role of Emotional Transportation

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  • P Matthijs Bal
  • Martijn Veltkamp

Abstract

The current study investigated whether fiction experiences change empathy of the reader. Based on transportation theory, it was predicted that when people read fiction, and they are emotionally transported into the story, they become more empathic. Two experiments showed that empathy was influenced over a period of one week for people who read a fictional story, but only when they were emotionally transported into the story. No transportation led to lower empathy in both studies, while study 1 showed that high transportation led to higher empathy among fiction readers. These effects were not found for people in the control condition where people read non-fiction. The study showed that fiction influences empathy of the reader, but only under the condition of low or high emotional transportation into the story.

Suggested Citation

  • P Matthijs Bal & Martijn Veltkamp, 2013. "How Does Fiction Reading Influence Empathy? An Experimental Investigation on the Role of Emotional Transportation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(1), pages 1-12, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0055341
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055341
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jennifer J. Argo & Rui (Juliet) Zhu & Darren W. Dahl, 2008. "Fact or Fiction: An Investigation of Empathy Differences in Response to Emotional Melodramatic Entertainment," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 34(5), pages 614-623, August.
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