How Fiction Can Change Your Perspective on Real Life? The experience of gaining access to the interiority of the characters' minds can broaden our perspective and more accepting of diversity
By Abhinav Singh •
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The line between fiction and reality is blurrier today than ever before. As much as clichéd it sounds, a book or a movie filled with fictional characters can change your life completely. It's an escape from the reality, a window to a different world. We spend a lot of time of our lives immersed in novels, movies, plays, TV series or any other form of fiction. More often than not, we tend to forget those are made-up stories with no connection with the reality. Hence, it's not surprising to see how fictional experiences can shape the way you think in your real life. From "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea" to the modern "Harry Potter", popular works of fiction has made a huge impact on both people and society as a whole. Psychologists believe that fictional characters influence us in real life. Several studies and research have also confirmed the same.
Creation of a Mythical World
While fiction may not be everyone's cup of tea, it allows you to participate in the lives of others. The sense of voyeurism fiction provides can be addictive. In fact, fictional characters can stay in your mind even after you have put the book down or finished watching a film. The experience of gaining access to the interiority of the characters' minds can broaden our perspective and more accepting of diversity. Sometimes, people get so engrossed with the characters that their own personalities get affected. The extent may vary, but fiction creeps into the daily existence for many of us. Whether it's a book or a movie, you unknowingly tend to recreate the fictional world and the characters being described.
Some may try to become more like their favourite character, behaving in a similar pattern or feeling their own thoughts shaped in a certain manner. In rare cases, the experience gets even triggered if a real-world setting is alike to the one you have come across in a work of fiction.
Fiction and Reality
There is a very fine line between fiction and reality. When it comes to reality shows, the participants are real but the situation is not. Fiction is the most effective when it takes cues from the real world when it closely resembles the truth. Humans are wired in such a way that they like to believe everything that reflects the better version of the real world. It has always been a matter of discussion if fiction can generate emotions and inspire action. Well, it can but not necessarily always in an ideal way. With the emergence of various social media platforms, it has become quite a task to tell what is real and what is scripted. Fictional works should not give an illusion that seems like truth as it can turn out to be dangerous. Fabricated truth causes more harm than good.
For storytellers, things can turn out to be even more perplexing. Many authors get so attached to the story and characters they are writing about that they fail to distinguish between fiction and reality. They hear voices of different characters echoing in the mind even after they have stopped writing. Virginia Wolf, for example, failed to differentiate between fact and fiction, deciding to take her own life at last. Fictional characters can leave a long-lasting impression on the minds of authors and readers.
It goes without saying that fiction can change your perspective on real and everyday life. You can achieve everything you want taking inspiration from fictional characters. Albeit fictional experiences can push you to be a better version of yourself, it's important to not lose touch with reality. The key is to maintain the balance while daring to dream conventions and rules.
