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Cited by 1,345Media Influence and HealthNarrative Theory and AnalysisEmpathy and Medical Education

The Function of Fiction is the Abstraction and Simulation of Social Experience

Mar, Raymond A., Oatley, Keith·2008·Perspectives on Psychological Science
DOI 10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00073.x
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Abstract

Fiction literature has largely been ignored by psychology researchers because its only function seems to be entertainment, with no connection to empirical validity. We argue that literary narratives have a more important purpose. They offer models or simulations of the social world via abstraction, simplification, and compression. Narrative fiction also creates a deep and immersive simulative experience of social interactions for readers. This simulation facilitates the communication and understanding of social information and makes it more compelling, achieving a form of learning through experience. Engaging in the simulative experiences of fiction literature can facilitate the understanding of others who are different from ourselves and can augment our capacity for empathy and social inference.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00073.x

Cites

211 of 212 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Fiction books allow opportunities for readers to practice inferring others' mental and emotional states, which can be transferred beyond the book to real-life contexts, supporting readers' own learning and potentially contributing to positive social relationships.

    “Indeed, fi ction books allow opportunities for readers to practice inferring others ' mental and emotional states (Mar and Oatley, 2008), which can be transferred beyond the book to real-life contexts, supporting readers ' own learning and with potential to contribute to positive social relationships.”

    From Reading and Empathy: Qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences with fiction books (2025) · cites this paper as Mar and Oatley, 2008

  • Stories are particularly helpful in learning how to navigate the social world.

    “Stories are particularly helpful in learning how to navigate the social world (Dodell-Feder & Tamir, 2018; Mar, 2011; Mar & Oatley, 2008; Mar et al., 2006, 2009; Oatley, 1999; Tamir et al., 2015).”

    From Stories in Action. (2022) · cites this paper as Mar & Oatley, 2008

  • Fictional stories simulate interactive experiences, activating parts of the brain used for social cognition and providing models of coordination.

    “Fictional stories simulate interactive experiences, activating parts of the brain used for social cognition (Tamir et al., 2015) and providing models of coordination (Mar & Oatley, 2008).”

    From Stories in Action. (2022) · cites this paper as Mar & Oatley, 2008

  • Theory of mind posits that reading increases individuals' empathy.

    “For example, theory of mind (the ability to understand others' feelings and emotions (Shamay-Tsoory and Aharon-Peretz, 2007)) posits that reading increases individuals' empathy (Bal and Veltkamp, 2013; Mar and Oatley, 2008; Mar et al., 2009; Scales et al., 2000), which can foster prosocial behaviours and inhibit antisocial acts (Lonigro et al., 2014).”

    From Reading for pleasure in childhood and adolescent healthy behaviours: Longitudinal associations using the Millennium Cohort Study (2020) · cites this paper as Mar and Oatley, 2008

  • Reading helps readers to understand the emotions of others better.

    “helps readers to understand the emotions of others better (Bal and Veltkamp, 2013; Mar and Oatley, 2008; Oatley, 2012).”

    From Longitudinal associations between reading for pleasure and child maladjustment: Results from a propensity score matching analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Mar and Oatley, 2008

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 213 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 25

  1. Aristotle, 1987, Poetics
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  5. Eliot G., 1883, The works of George Eliot. Standard Edition: Essays, 188
  6. Eng A. (2002). Learning and processing non-fiction genre. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  7. Ingalls D.H.H., 1990, The Dhvanyaloka of Anandavardana with the Locana of Abhinavagupta
  8. James H., 1951, The portable Henry James, 391
  9. Kerr A.P. (2005). Towards a therapeutics of reading literature: The influence of aesthetic distance and attachment. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  10. Lipps T., 1900, Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 22, 415
  11. Mandler J.M., 1984, Stories, scripts, & scenes: Aspects of schema theory
  12. Mar R.A. (2007). Simulation-based theories of narrative comprehension: Evidence and implications. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  13. Mar R.A., Oatley K., Eng A. (2003, August). Abstraction and the vividness of details in fiction. In T.C. Brock (Chair), Models and mechanisms of narrative persuasion . Talk and symposium presented at the 111th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  14. Oatley K., 1997, Emotion and the arts, 163
  15. Oatley K., 2005, Culture and Evolutionary Psychology, 3, 181
  16. Palmer A., 2004, Fictional minds
  17. Poe E.A., 1967, Edgar Allan Poe: Selected writings
  18. Polichak J.W., 2002, Narrative impact, 71
  19. Stein S., 1995, Stein on writing
  20. Stevenson R.L., 1992, R.L. Stevenson essays and poems, 1179
  21. Strange J.J., 2002, Narrative impact: Social and cognitive foundations, 263
  22. Swift G., 1983, Waterland
  23. Taylor S.E., 1981, Social cognition: The Ontario symposium, 1, 89
  24. Trabasso T., Chung J. (2004, January 23). Empathy: Tracking characters and monitoring their concerns in film . Paper presented at the Winter Text Conference, Jackson Hole, WY.
  25. Woolf V., 1924, Collected essays, 1, 319

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Authors
Mar, R. A., & Oatley, K.
Affiliations
  • York University (CA)
  • University of Toronto (CA)
Corresponding author
Mar, Raymond A.
ORCID
Venue
Perspectives on Psychological Science
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2008-05
Volume
3
Issue
3
Pages
173-192
ISSN
  • 1745-6916 (ISSN-L)
  • 1745-6924
DOI
10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00073.x
OpenAlex
W2147279990
Semantic Scholar
c31c71fb2d12acc3b6ee37295171ea57d47f53cd
Cited by
1,345
References
213
Citations by year
2026: 96 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 101 · 2023: 102 · 2022: 146 · 2021: 136 · 2020: 109 · 2019: 83 · 2018: 105 · 2017: 77 · 2016: 63 · 2015: 74 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 49 · 2012: 25
FWCI
531.70
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Perspectives on Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-16-CE28-0004)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Narrative Theory and Analysis
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Empathy and Medical Education
Keywords
fiction, narrative fiction, simulation theory, social experience, empathy, social inference, social understanding, immersive experience, experiential learning, literary narrative, social cognition

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