How humanities classes benefit students in the workplace and combat loneliness

Stereotypes abound about liberal arts degrees leading to low-paying jobs, despite research showing that humanities majors earn salaries comparable to students in many other majors.

- Anna Mae Duane

Authorities to high school guidance counselors have encouraged students to prioritize degrees in science and technology over the humanities because of their applicability to the job market. Some legislators have even argued that humanities courses should be defunded entirely.

As a result, enrollment in humanities majors in college has plummeted by 24 percent since 2012. Lower enrollment also means fewer people are training to teach in this field as well.

However, employers value the skills that humanities majors have. Courses in art, literature, history and philosophy can provide students with life skills they can use outside the classroom too. This includes recovering from the current loneliness epidemic affecting young people.

Here are three scientifically proven ways that humanities classes benefit students and help them develop social skills within and beyond the classroom.

Development of empathy

As an English professor, I know that when I ask students to discuss the motivations of characters in novels, they inevitably find ways to empathize with the character as well as one another. Both narrative theory and cognitive science back this up. Spending hours immersed in the words and beliefs of other people changes students' capacity to connect with others.