Fiction

Literary Minds

关于小说、诗歌和戏剧,神经科学能告诉我们什么?小说能帮助我们发展现实世界中的认知技能吗?作家们能为了我们自己的利益利用我们精神上的弱点吗?这是我们在本周的节目“你的文学大脑”中要问的一些问题。

Why We Argue About Fiction

From an evolutionary standpoint, it’s puzzling that humans consume fiction. Why waste valuable cognitive resources on information we know is unreal? But it is even more puzzling that we argue about such fictions! I explore some reasons why we do this.

What Would We Lose If We Had No Art?

Think about the art you’ve enjoyed in your life: the novels, the television, the music, the poetry, the sculpture, the paintings—the list goes on. Now try to imagine a scenario in which none of this art had ever been made. What would we lose in a world like this?

Why Do People Argue about Fiction?

For this month's puzzle, I'm focusing on the human ability to produce and consume fiction. Why do creatures evolved to survive in a harsh reality spend so much time, energy, and effort doing this? And why do we argue with one another about what “really” happened in these various fictional worlds?

Narrative Burnout

When I’ve felt depressed or isolated in the past, fiction has been a source of escape and catharsis. But during this lockdown, I've been struggling with stories. I've been streaming less television, reading fewer novels, and watching fewer movies than ever before. I've got a case of "narrative burnout."