Is fictional literature beneficial to society? (It boosts creativity)

Fictional writing is beneficial to society because it enhances one’s imagination and that way, people are able to think beyond what meets the eye. I don’t want to sound like a scientist but besides fictional literature being a source of entertainment to a reader; it also gives them the chance to sway into a world unknown. I would want to zero down fictional literature to science fiction; science fiction promotes an interest in science and in learning, it enhances understanding of the processes of sociology and history, reduces biased thinking, creates a sense of wonder with the universe and forces us to think about the future just like madisonhorror.com highlights it in “The Value of Science Fiction”. Have we ever thought of why fictional literature or fictional movies are considered to be best selling? For example fictional literature “A Tale of Two Cities (1859)”a novel by Charles Dickens is said to have sold over 200 million copies. This is proof that society needs fictional literature. Although some people argue that fictional literature is culturally irrelevant because it is not based on true circumstances and has no facts on ground, ask.com indicates that literature affects society in a variety of ways, the most obvious way being entertainment and it has served this function for thousands of years. Literature, whether fictional or based on real life events, is known to affect how society thinks and how it influences movements and social change. According to Michael Mack’s 2012 book “How Literature Changes the Way We Think”, Literature is a disruptive force, breaking up our fiction about the world we live in and showing us new possibilities for the future. For example, Literature has the capacity to change our thinking about ageing by undermining the opposition between birth and ageing. He further states that Literature’s cognitive dimension helps us cope with the current as well as future challenges by changing the way we think about ourselves, our society, and those who are excluded from or marginalised within our society. How else can you predict the future without having a great imagination which in most cases is enhanced by fiction characters or scenarios? Therefore, it is safe to say that although the reading culture is diminishing due to several factors in our society today, fictional literature is and will always be beneficial to society for more generations to come.