Fiction, imagination, and social cognition: Insights from autism

Some scholars have suggested that fiction builds upon our capacity for daydreaming and imagination, while others have proposed that it appeals to our capacity for getting inside the minds of others. However, very little research has investigated the way that individuals with deficits in imagination and social cognition view and develop preferences for fiction. Here, I review research on one such population: individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and present an experiment that investigates fiction preferences in ASC. As a whole, this work suggests that both fictionality and social content may play an important role in the appeal of fiction—and that the scientific study of fiction could benefit by taking into account the perspectives of individuals who view the world in different ways.

► This article argues that autism research is relevant to the study of fiction.
► An overview of research concerning autism, narrative, and imagination is presented.
► A new study, examining reading preferences in autism is also presented.
► Two factors were found to differentially affect preferences in autism and controls.
► Fictionality drove autistic preferences; social content drove typical preferences.