Uncomfortable reading | Rachel Kellerman | TEDxPaloAltoHighSchool
The speaker argues for engaging with uncomfortable reading material because, while comfort is neurologically appealing, confronting dissenting viewpoints—like reading *The Autobiography of Malcolm X*—is necessary to develop empathy, challenge existing biases, and become better global citizens. This is supported by evidence showing that dopamine rewards familiar information, but novel, challenging reading can trigger a "biological dopamine Rush that incites a new idea or Insight." ## Theses & Positions - The speaker shifts from recommending enjoyable books to advocating for *uncomfortable reading* material. - Reading material featuring struggle, strife, and topics of discrimination is necessary, even if it details unimaginable sorrow. - Confirmation bias leads people to consume only familiar content that conforms to existing political inclinations and social biases. - Dopamine rewards comfort when presented with familiar information, making "soothing Comfort generally win out over the disordinate clang of the new." - Engaging with challenging texts, like those confronting disagreeable viewpoints, is vital for developing empathy and understanding for others. - The ultimate goal of confronting bias is for the mind to launch into a "fascinating yeah totally imperfect world," allowing one to develop into a "Global Citizen." ## Concepts & Definitions - **Confirmation Bias:** The phenomenon where people tend to read and consume only what is familiar and confirms their existing political inclinations and social biases. - **Social Cognition:** A function of the brain that activates in people who read compelling fiction. - **Dopamine Effect:** The brain chemical system where dopamine provides comfort with familiar information but stimulates the brain when presented with unfamiliar information. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Confirmation Bias Manifestation:** Evidenced in media consumption, as shown by a study suggesting that people identifying as consistently conservative use Fox News, while those identifying as consistently liberal tend to "defr or block people on Facebook" with differing views. - **Dopamine Pathway:** The tendency for the brain to prioritize familiar input over novel, disruptive input, leading to continuous comfort-seeking reading habits. - **Personal Education Shift:** The speaker's reading of *The Autobiography of Malcolm X* caused her to question her education, leading her to take charge of her learning by reading the newspaper and listening to the news independently. ## Named Entities - **Malcolm X** — Subject of the book *The Autobiography of Malcolm X*. - **Alex Haley** — Person who compiled *The Autobiography of Malcolm X*. - **Dick Richard Russell of Georgia** — Friend of John D. Johnson, noted as a southern racist who opposed the Civil Rights movement. - **John D. Johnson** — Former President whose first call upon assassination in Dallas was to Dick Richard Russell. - **Harvard** — Institution conducting a study on fiction reading and social cognition. - **The PE Research Center** — Source of the study on political polarization and media habits. - **New Scientist Journal** — Publication that ported the study from neuroscientist Michael Frank. ## Numbers & Data - Time since speaker's high school graduation: **40 years**. - Page reference in *The Autobiography of Malcolm X*: **page 381**. - Years of gap in reading experience suggested by the speaker: *[None specified]* ## Examples & Cases - **The reading of *The Autobiography of Malcolm X*:** Reading this book provided a perspective on the Civil Rights movement—specifically concerning President Johnson's calls to his racist friend—that was a "very different narrative than my textbook history of civil rights which is very tame." - **The speaker's self-reflection:** Comparing her own intellectual development to the "locking of a boat before M Alex's FY words," where her mind was tethered by Malcolm and Alex's confrontational language, propelling her into a wider world. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Google** — Not mentioned. - **Facebook** — Platform cited where users may "defr or block people." - **Internet** — Previously unavailable to the speaker when she undertook her independent learning. ## References Cited - *The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told to Alex Haley* — Book source inspiring the speaker's change in educational approach. - **Harvard study** — Study suggesting that people who read compelling fiction develop regions in their brain that activate social cognition. - **Neuroscientist Michael Frank** — Researcher who studied dopamine's effect on reading familiar versus unfamiliar information. - **The PE Research Center** — Source of data regarding political polarization and media habits. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Comfortable Reading vs. Uncomfortable Reading:** Comfortable reading reinforces existing views (social bias); uncomfortable reading forces confrontation with dissenting ideas. - **Materializing Bias:** The trade-off between reading textbook history (which is "very tame") versus reading primary, controversial narratives. ## Methodology - **Neuroscientific observation:** Examining how dopamine rewards (comfort) versus stimulation (novelty) affect media consumption. - **Personal historical journaling:** The speaker consciously restructuring her education by reading current newspapers and news sources instead of relying on controlled narratives. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The speaker recommends moving past passive consumption of easily digestible content to embrace challenging, dissenting literature. - Recommendation for the audience: "engage your adversaries by reading their words," and to "not isolate your mind and your heart in only comfortable places." - Final call to action: Engaging with difficult material is required to "become the Global Citizen[s]." ## Implications & Consequences - Failure to engage with uncomfortable reading perpetuates confirmation bias and limits empathy. - Successful confrontation with bias leads to self-directed education and the development of a broader worldview. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm thinking about changing my party message because the books I want to recommend aren't particularly enjoyable they don't feature Wizards vanquishing dark horses in the end or enemies becoming friends"* - *"This phenomenon is called confirmation bias."* - *"Dopamine Comforts us when our brain is presented with familiar information and stimulates us when we're presented with the unfamiliar"* - *"For most of us soothing Comfort generally wins out over the disordinate clang of the new"* - *"I still remember the day My Librarian handed me the autobiography of Malcolm X As Told to Alex Haley"* - *"how would some Sheriff sound declaring himself so against bank robbery and Jesse James his best friend"* - *"I was at home in my cozy vessel tied to my but Malcolm and Alex's confrontational and controversial language I'm tethered my mind launching me into our fascinating yeah totally imperfect world"* - *"do not isolate your mind and your heart in only comfortable places when you need free to become the Global Citizens"*