Can something as simple as watching movies—and empathizing with fictional characters—help generate more compassion and understanding in the real world?
But can something as simple as watching movies—and empathizing with fictional characters—help generate more compassion and understanding in the real world?
Roger Ebert thought so.
“The purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people,”
said Ebert in Life Itself, a 2014 documentary about late film critic’s life and career.
“And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams, and fears.”
….Many scientists have studied the link between storytelling and empathy
Christopher Zumski Finke
