The Uniting Force of Empathy
Our superhuman ability to feel the emotions of others is nothing short of miraculous. Every time a story moves us to tears, we are experiencing an empathic connection. As it turns out, there’s a scientific explanation for this phenomenon that Sharon Blackie explains in her brilliant nonfiction book, The Enchanted Life.
“When we listen to stories, watch movies, or read books, the parts of our brain which are activated are exactly the same areas that would be implicated if we ourselves were indulging in the activities being described in the story. As far as our brains are concerned… we are literally living the story we’re engrossed in.”1
Sharon Blackie goes on to share a groundbreaking study done by a Princeton University neuroscientist named Uri Hasson. The same story was read aloud to five people while they received an MRI. The results found that their brain activity actually “aligned” with each other’s while they listened, effectively proving that storytelling can indeed unite the human race. I don’t think it would be a stretch to claim that fictional narratives are one of the most powerful forces in the universe.
When I started brainstorming for this essay, I thought back to the first movie that affected me when I was a child. At first glance, Bambi seems like a cute story about woodland creatures raising their young – at least until Bambi’s mother is killed by a hunter. Watching that scene once was enough for me, and I made sure to fast forward through my VHS tape after that. Eventually I stopped watching the movie altogether.
But last night I saw it again after a gap of about twenty-five years. Having that distance allowed me to notice details and themes I never picked up on when I was a child. Bambi is different from a lot of Disney films because it deals with a general evil instead of a clear-cut villain. The woodland animals are in no position to fight back either – they must simply learn how to survive the threat. In a lot of ways, it’s a grim lesson for the viewers to learn, but it’s also a jarring experience when you realize that the evil force affecting the natural world is humanity itself. Not only were the animals hunted and killed for sport, but they were also driven from their home by a devastating (man-made) forest fire.
Bambi creates empathy on two levels: first with the loss of Bambi’s mother, and secondly with the plight of wild animals in general. It introduces children to the idea that all living creatures are precious beings who deserve protection. But despite the tragedies that occur, there is a happy ending. The forest begins to grow back, and a new generation is born. It reminds me of the closing lines from Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
“What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.”
What are some films that have moved you to tears? Do you avoid watching certain ones because of how upsetting they are? Let me know in the comments!
Blackie, Sharon. The Enchanted Life. September Publishing, 2021 paperback ed, p 130.