Abigail Williams’ new book “The Social Life of Books: Reading Together in the Eighteenth-Century Home” explores the “history of sociable reading,” shedding light on a time when volumes of verse and prose were read aloud “in many homes as a familiar assortment of readable extracts to while away an afternoon or evening in company.” What’s the difference between reading alone and reading with others?
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In the Harvard Business Review, novelist and advisor to technology entrepreneurs and investors Eliot Peper argues that business leaders should be reading science fiction – and shows us why “companies like Google, Microsoft and Apple have brought in science fiction writers as consultants.” What makes a genre that we so often associate with futuristic worlds or spaceships so useful to someone in the C-suite?
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Happy Friday! We’ve scoured the web for thought-provoking articles and essays for you to enjoy during our first full weekend of summer.
The Beatles convinced us that “we get by with a little help from our friends” – but is there actual science to back that up? Over at the New York Times, Jane E. Brody reports on recent studies out of Harvard, Duke, Stanford and more that stress how critical social interaction is for our mental and physical health.
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Happy Friday! We’ve scoured the web for thought-provoking articles and essays for you to enjoy over the weekend.
In The Atlantic, Bouree Lam interviews Susan David, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and author of the book Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life which looks at “how companies and employees can acknowledge uncomfortable experiences and react appropriately.” How can negative emotions like grief, fear or resentment actually benefit our workplaces?
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Happy Friday! We’ve scoured the web for thought-provoking articles and essays for you to enjoy over the weekend.
In the Paris Review, Benjamin Ehrlich writes about neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal and his early and fervent predilection for reading fiction. Cajal’s father earned a medical degree after a “grueling life” as the son of peasant farmers. He later despised all literary culture, allowing only medical books in the house. Cajal, however, had other ideas. How did reading fiction shape the mind of “the father of modern neuroscience”?
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Happy Friday! We’ve scoured the web for thought-provoking articles and essays for you to enjoy over the weekend.
In the Scientific American, the University of Missouri’s Director of the Master of Public Health program Lise Saffran writes on the crucial role of storytelling in searching for truth. When confronted with facts, we often filter out evidence that contradicts our cultural predispositions. But when we hear a subjective story and feel a personal and authentic connection with someone, are we more willing to override our bias?
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In a recent article for the Harvard Business Review, David Maxfield demonstrates that in cultures of silence, employees are less likely to speak up about a range of problems – including strategic missteps and rude or abusive behaviors from colleagues and management alike. How can we overcome cultures of silence and encourage people to voice their concerns?
Learn more about cultures of silence and psychological safety in this month’s Weekend Reading – and find articles on meaning and work, untold stories, sympathy and engagement, among other topics.
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A decade’s worth of research has shown that reading – especially reading strong, compelling narratives – can help us empathize with others. Pair a recent Wall Street Journal article, which surveys this research, with Professor Emily VanDette’s blog post on how reading and discussion are a perfect recipe for bridging cultural divides. Both are good arguments for expanding your reading list (and your discussion group). You’ll also find a short documentary about an Afghan village’s first school for girls, works of Chinese science fiction and information about a new Cleveland-area support service for Veterans in this edition of Weekend Reading.
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The Pew Research Center recently released new information about the American job market. One key finding is that both employment and wages have risen the most in fields requiring analytical and social skills: “While employment grew by 50% over all occupations from 1980 to 2015 [. . .] growth was much higher among jobs that require average or above average social skills (83%), such as interpersonal, management and communications skills, and those that require higher levels of analytical skills (77%), such as as critical thinking and computer skills.” Read the whole report, or learn more about empathy, diversity and leadership in our link roundup.
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In a recent piece explaining “How Senior Executives Find Time to Be Creative,” The Happiness Track author Emma Seppala points out that “the number-one attribute CEOs look for in their incoming workforce” is creativity. She goes on to pack her article with tips for fostering creativity day in and day out – even on a busy schedule. Read about Seppala’s research – and find links to pieces on energy at work, listening well, literature and mental health and more.
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