The best lawyers are empathetic lawyers. How to learn the skill? Read fiction, according to an Oct. 4 article in The New York Times, “For Better Social Skills, Scientists Recommend a Little Checkov.” According to the article, recent studies show that, in contrast to popular fiction, “literary fiction often leaves more to the imagination, encouraging readers to make inferences about characters and be sensitive to emotional nuance and complexity.”
Not convinced? One test had a group read excerpts from award-winning literary fiction and another read excerpts from Smithsonian Magazine. Each group then viewed photographs of eyes and was asked to pick the adjective best describing the emotion that each photo showed. Result: The first group scored well, the second did not.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
