Fiction for Architects
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Why Reading Fiction is Critical Professional Development
In my last post, I discussed Richard Francis-Jones’s call for a vital "moment" of critical reflection—a platform to rest on outside the disorienting "sea of practice." But how do you build that platform? How do you train your mind to engage in the deep ethical and imaginative work that Francis-Jones suggests? The answer is perhaps counterintuitive: Read more literary fiction.
Research across cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience confirms that reading fiction is not a passive escape; it is a high-leverage mental action that directly strengthens the very cognitive muscles we value in this profession: empathy, problem-solving, and vision. Far from being a distraction, fiction is essential professional development for a purpose-driven practice.
The Empathy Engine: Simulating (real) Human Experience
The most significant finding linking fiction and performance lies in its ability to enhance empathy, or what psychologists call Theory of Mind—the capacity to understand that other people have different beliefs, intentions, and feelings than your own.
As architects, we constantly design for a user we are not. We need to anticipate the emotional experience of an elderly resident, the movement of a busy commuter, or the needs of a parent with a stroller.
Research shows that when you become engrossed in a novel, your brain treats the fictional narrative like a "simulation of social experience," allowing you to practice and refine perspective-taking without real-world risk. Furthermore, work by Kidd and Castano (2013) demonstrated a measurable, causal link: engaging with literary fiction actually sharpens your ability to accurately read others' non-verbal cues and understand the complex, often unstated motivations of those around you.
By transporting you into the body of a protagonist, fiction provides the neurological basis for navigating the human side of a project, ensuring the work is anchored in genuine human needs. We often play lip-service to the word “empathy”; if you are serious about having an empathic practice, fiction is a proven tool to truly ‘step into another’s shoes.’
Cognitive Flexibility and The "What If" Muscle
Architectural practice is defined by complex, often unprecedented problems that require solutions that do not yet exist. You need the creative flexibility to break free from precedent and imagine solutions that reconcile seemingly conflicting constraints.
Fiction directly trains this skill in two critical ways:
Research has shown that early exposure to literary fiction is associated with a more complex worldview and increased attributional complexity in adults (Buttrick et al., 2022). Fiction trains your brain to navigate ambiguity and avoid simplistic answers, which is vital when designing for multifaceted social, environmental, and political contexts.
Every plot, every twist, every character motivation is an exercise in complex causality. By following characters who confront and solve unique, often high-stakes problems, your brain practices generating options and making choices. This exercises the "what if" muscle, the same imaginative power required to turn a challenging site constraint into an innovative design opportunity.
This is not just mental exercise; it’s a necessary workout for your design mind, increasing the cognitive agility required to generate meaningful, non-obvious results.
Sustaining the Reflective Platform
Finally, fiction provides the necessary mental environment to sustain the critical reflection demanded by Francis-Jones.
In an age of hyper-stimulation, reading a novel trains your brain for sustained, deep focus on a single cognitive task. Furthermore, studies have shown that reading can be more effective than listening to music or walking at reducing cortisol—the stress hormone (a finding cited in articles covering research from sources like The University of Sussex).
The result? By regularly diving into fiction, you create:
Mental Clarity: Reduced stress and enhanced focus allow you to process ethical and strategic dilemmas without the emotional noise of the practice.
Enhanced Perspective: The ability to step back and ask the deep “why” questions with fresh eyes and a richer understanding of the human condition.
Reading fiction is not a retreat from professional life; it is a strategic action that sharpens your empathy, supercharges your problem-solving, and builds the stable, values-focused platform necessary to guide your practice out of the disorienting sea.
To fully transform into a values-focused practice, the AIA architect must commit to continuous improvement. Build creative muscle not just through projects, but through critical engagement. Seek out the best architecture books and AIA resources to deepen your understanding of architecture and design. Whether you are exploring design build construction or are a creative writer in architecture wanting to sharpen your creative muscle (a core method taught at many write and learn creative center workshops), the goal is the same: clarity. By integrating reflection, you ensure your firm's work remains worthy of future AIA awards, other industry awards, and delivers profound value.
