Why do some people feel more "at home" in Middle-earth or aboard a starship than in their own neighborhood? Why is a dragon’s fire sometimes less frightening than a simple social conversation?

In this final installment of our trilogy, Alice and Marc explore the vital role of fiction for neurodivergent minds (Autism, ADHD). Discover how stories act as a "social manual" with explicit rules, and why the predictability of a favorite movie watched for the 100th time is a crucial tool for emotional regulation.

We’ll debunk the myth of the "lack of empathy" by looking at hyper-empathy and the Double Empathy Problem. From the honesty of robots to the safety of fantasy worlds, learn how fiction isn't an escape from reality, but a bridge that makes a chaotic world finally readable.

Why does the finale of Friends feel like a real-life breakup? Why do we feel a deep void when characters who don't know we exist disappear from our screens?

In this episode, Alice and Marc decode the mechanics of Parasocial Relationships. Far from the cliché of the lonely geek, discover why your brain is evolutionarily wired to bond with fictional people through concepts like Social Snacking and the Benjamin Franklin Effect.

From the "Gym of Empathy" theory to the Pratfall Effect (why we love clumsy heroes), learn how fiction acts as a safe "social simulator" that can actually upgrade your real-world emotional intelligence.

You know it’s just a movie. You know the characters are just pixels. So why are you sobbing on your couch like you’ve lost a best friend?

In this episode, Alice and Marc decode the Paradox of Fiction. Discover why your "Rational Brain" (Belief) knows it's fake, while your "Primal Brain" (Alief) reacts as if it were life-or-death.

From the "Low Road" of the amygdala to the theory of Make-Believe, learn how storytellers hack your biology to trigger Quasi-Emotions and why crying over a fictional death isn't a weakness—it's the ultimate workout for your empathy.