Why Doctors Should Read More Books

By: Beatriz Gadala-Maria

A not-so-recent article in the New York Times addressed a question that I think runs through the mind of most science majors, “Why the humanities?” In our fast-paced academic environment, we are quick to dismiss those classes that may seem pointless in our future careers (i.e. the infamous Writing Seminar) and tempted to fill sector requirements with easy classes that will boost our GPAs but do little for our academic growth. After all, when will a doctor incorporate classic literature into her career?

It turns out that reading novels (and even watching movies) is more beneficial than we would have imagined. It has been proven that, “individuals who frequently read fiction seem to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and see the world from their perspective.” Movies, but not television, have a similar effect on our brains. This phenomenon is explained by an overlap that exists between brain networks used to understand stories and those used in interactions with other individuals, especially interactions that involving the thoughts and feelings of others. Stories and dramas ultimately act as simulations that help us understand the complexities of real life. This understanding can lead to greater empathy in human interactions, an important skill in any future career. For students who want to be doctors or psychiatrists, this empathy can be particularly critical in interactions with future patients.

Literature has many other beneficial and interesting effects on our brain. Besides stimulating the areas commonly associated with speech and language, such as Broca’s Area and Wernike’s Area, similes and metaphors have the power to stimulate areas in our brain associated with scent and taste, depending on what they describe. In a Spanish study conducted in 2006, when participants read words such as “coffee” and “perfume” their primary olfactory cortex (the area in our brains associated with smell) lit up in an fMRI. In another study, when participants read metaphors dealing with sensation, their sensory cortex became activated. Similarly, phrases regarding motion lead to activation of motor cortices. For our brain, these neurological events are undistinguishable from those that occur when we actually experience what we read about. Neuroimaging technology has proven that literature and fiction are more powerful than we previously could have ever imagined, making the humanities more relative to our everyday lives and future science careers than we would have previously considered.