Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 13 hours ago
Reading doesn’t just inform—it transforms.
When you read fiction, you’re not you …
You’re another gender, another religion, another time in the world, another place in the world…
No wonder research suggests that reading opens up the mirror neurons responsible for empathy, compassion, and understanding (Dovey, 2015). Not to mention, reading can impact the future you—as characters and stories influence individuality (Dovey, 2015).
When I was Director of Leadership Development at Walmart—the world’s largest company with 2.5 million employees—guess what the #1 derailer was for all leaders at all levels?
It was precisely EQ — or, when you get into the data, empathy, compassion, and understanding.
No wonder! Those are difficult skills to teach. You can’t ship somebody off to empathy class! It doesn’t exist.
So here’s a counterintuitive way to grow as a leader:
Read more fiction!
What’s the last work of fiction you read and loved?
-
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
Reading doesn’t just inform—it transforms.
When you read fiction, you’re not you …
You’re another gender, another religion, another time in the world, another place in the world…
No wonder research suggests that reading opens up the mirror neurons responsible for empathy, compassion, and understanding (Dovey, 2015). Not to mention, reading can impact the future you—as characters and stories influence individuality (Dovey, 2015).
When I was Director of Leadership Development at Walmart—the world’s largest company with 2.5 million employees—guess what the #1 derailer was for all leaders at all levels?
It was precisely EQ — or, when you get into the data, empathy, compassion, and understanding.
No wonder! Those are difficult skills to teach. You can’t ship somebody off to empathy class! It doesn’t exist.
So here’s a counterintuitive way to grow as a leader:
Read more fiction!
What’s the last work of fiction you read and loved?
-
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
