Science Fiction Builds Mental Resiliency in Young Readers
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:
Science fiction builds mental resiliency in young readers:
Young people who are "hooked" on watching fantasy or reading science fiction may be on to something. Contrary to a common misperception that reading this genre is an unworthy practice, reading science fiction and fantasy may help young people cope, especially with the stress and anxiety of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am a professor with research interests in the social, ethical and political messages in science fiction. In my book "Medicine and Ethics in Black Women's Speculative Fiction," I explore the ways science fiction promotes understanding of human differences and ethical thinking.
While many people may not consider science fiction, fantasy or speculative fiction to be "literary," research shows that all fiction can generate critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence for young readers. Science fiction may have a power all its own.
- [...] Literature as a moral mirror
- [...] Why science fiction gets a bad rap
- [...] The mental health of reading
- [...] The powerful world of science fiction
[...] Let them read science fiction. In it, young people can see themselves - coping, surviving and learning lessons - that may enable them to create their own strategies for resilience. In this time of COVID-19 and physical distancing, we may be reluctant for kids to embrace creative forms that seem to separate them psychologically from reality.
But the critical thinking and agile habits of mind prompted by this type of literature may actually produce resilience and creativity that everyday life and reality typically do not.
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