Fiction: Simulation of Social Worlds
Abstract
Fiction is the simulation of selves in interaction. People who read it improve their understanding of others. This effect is especially marked with literary fiction, which also enables people to change themselves. These effects are due partly to the process of engagement in stories, which includes making inferences and becoming emotionally involved, and partly to the contents of fiction, which include complex characters and circumstances that we might not encounter in daily life. Fiction can be thought of as a form of consciousness of selves and others that can be passed from an author to a reader or spectator, and can be internalized to augment everyday cognition.
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Fiction books have potential to support readers' real-world social and inference skills by describing characters' intentions and interactions.
“Further, fiction books are said to have potential to support readers ' real-world social and inference skills by describing characters ' intentions and interactions (Mar, 2018; Oatley, 2016).”
From Reading and Empathy: Qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences with fiction books (2025) · cites this paper as Oatley, 2016
Fiction is the simulation of real-life social worlds, and books can extend readers' life experiences, introducing them to more varied and complex social contexts and people than they would encounter in real life.
“Further, Oatley (2016) argues that fiction is the simulation of real-life social worlds, and that books can extend readers ' life experiences, introducing them to more varied and complex social contexts, and people, than they would encounter in their real-life.”
From Reading and Empathy: Qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences with fiction books (2025) · cites this paper as Oatley, 2016
The content of fiction and the way stories are crafted and written may enhance readers' ability to understand others.
“Furthermore, research illustrates that the content of fi ction and the way stories are crafted and written may enhance readers ' ability to understand others (Oatley, 2016).”
From Reading and Empathy: Qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences with fiction books (2025) · cites this paper as Oatley, 2016
As people entertain fictional simulations again and again, people practice social interaction and develop more refined expectations for how social interactions play out.
“As people entertain fictional simulations again and again through the books they read and the shows they watch, people practice social interaction and develop more refined expectations for how social interactions play out (Oatley, 2016).”
From Stories in Action. (2022) · cites this paper as Oatley, 2016
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References 105 · Cited by 461
- Authors
- Oatley, K.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Oatley, Keith
- ORCID
- Oatley, Keith
- Venue
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-08
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 618-628
- ISSN
- 1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2483358378
- Cited by
- 461
- References
- 105
- Citations by year
- 2026: 39 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 54 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 51 · 2019: 58 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 3
- FWCI
- 346.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- One Mind
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-16-CE28-0004)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Narrative Theory and Analysis
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Ethics, Aesthetics, and Art
- Keywords
- fiction, simulation theory, social cognition, empathy, literary fiction, narrative engagement, emotional engagement, inference, complex characters, self-understanding, reader response, everyday cognition
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