Pillar 6
Reader & Audience Psychology
Why people read, and how AI fiction changes that.
Clusters
6.1
The neuroscience of reading
Fiction vs. non-fiction in the brain, mirror neurons, default-mode network, theory of mind.
6.2
Escapism
A taxonomy of escapism, healthy vs. unhealthy, why escapism is moral, pandemic reading habits.
6.3
Parasocial relationships
Bonds with fictional characters, character chat's deepening intensity, healthy parasocial design.
6.4
Binge behavior
Binge-reading vs. binge-watching, why cliffhangers work, on-demand vs. forced cliffhangers, dopamine literature.
6.5
Reader agency
Choose-your-own-adventure lineage, agency without choice paralysis, illusion vs. real agency, when agency hurts a story.
6.6
Generational cohorts
Boomer through Gen Alpha reading habits and what each cohort expects from AI fiction.
No published pieces in this pillar yet.