What Makes Science Fiction so Catchy?

  

      I love science fiction. And so I asked myself why I do, why do I read it? That simple question forced me to find an answer, an answer that was far more complex than what I expected it to be.

         First, we need to describe what science fiction is and some examples. The dictionary and actual definition is a fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. But the way that I would describe it would be that it is something that your brain is not used to. So I first thought that what made it so catchy was the setting.  But science fiction for people nowadays could not be considered science fiction in a time of human history and if it is the setting people would eventually get bored of such weird settings. Dune, the famous novel of Frank Herbert takes place in a far future. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell takes time during the civil war. They are both excellent science fiction novels with different settings and topics, so it might not be the setting that makes them so catchy. It might be the characters or the plot, like the hunger games or 1984 By George Orwell, both have similar plot but really different characters. So it's the characters and characters because it helps the reader be able to "feel" part of the book and story. But what makes us want to be like the character?

            What makes Science fiction so catchy is something that makes humans be humans, something deep into our nature. It is our curiosity that drives us to read it, to explore and learn. Researchers have determined that dopamine, the chemical that makes your brain feel pleasure, is linked to the brain’s curiosity state. When you explore and satisfy your curiosity, your brain floods your body with dopamine, which makes you feel happier. This reward mechanism increases the likelihood that you’ll try to satisfy your curiosity again. Making it into somewhat of a drug that your body needs. Curiosity drove humans to move and learn, to move from Africa to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Thanks to curiosity we know what we are made of, what the universe is. Humans have curiosity drilled into their brains, you need to be curious to be human. 

         And guess what does an excellent good to make us curious? Well, you probably guessed Science fiction as that is what this blog is about. Science fiction does an amazing job of making things mysterious, such as Dune, the hunger games, and 1984. They all put us, us the reader, into a world, time, and context that drives us to want to explore it, to discover it. That is what makes it catchy, it is the ability to force your brain into wanting to explore.

          Thanks for reading, if you like the post please comment on it or if you want me to Analyse other things, please tell me in one of the comments.

             - Mati.