Who would have known that all writers toiling in soiled underpants to the wee hours of Friday and Saturday nights were actually developing social skills through their writing? Scientists, that's who, and since Scientists are always right, well...let them tell you:
But what could be the evolutionary advantage of being so prone to fantasy? “One might have expected natural selection to have weeded out any inclination to engage in imaginary worlds rather than the real one,” writes Steven Pinker, a Harvard University evolutionary psychologist, in the April 2007 issue of Philosophy and Literature. Pinker goes on to argue against this claim, positing that stories are an important tool for learning and for developing relationships with others in one’s social group. And most scientists are starting to agree: stories have such a powerful and universal appeal that the neurological roots of both telling tales and enjoying them are probably tied to crucial parts of our social cognition....In support for the idea that stories act as practice for real life are imaging studies that reveal similar brain activity during viewings of real people and animated characters.
That's why I write (or try to) write fiction: to practice real life! You know, that real life in which I engage in several simultaneous polyamorous relationships with supermodels. Practice does make perfect!!!
Speaking of perfect, the article opens with a line from Troy, my favoritest historical epic staring Brad Pitt ever!!
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