Such readers may believe that they lack some skills needed in this world (scientific or otherwise) and actually dream of being more skillful—but imagining yourself with a wand sending around magic (which you don’t have to understand to use) is easier than imagining yourself smarter or more socialized or, you know, anything that could help in the real world.
Or wait—not anything. Imagine a world of late Middle Ages where some guy desperately wants to become a great warrior but is too weak to wield a sword or a longbow… and then you give him a crossbow or a firegun. The effect is similar: you give him a way to achieve his dreams without, you know, exhausting exercise and stuff. Same applies to mind exercise—it is difficult (and its practitioners know it, so SF&F is actually more popular in smart people).
Such readers may believe that they lack some skills needed in this world (scientific or otherwise) and actually dream of being more skillful—but imagining yourself with a wand sending around magic (which you don’t have to understand to use) is easier than imagining yourself smarter or more socialized or, you know, anything that could help in the real world.
Or wait—not anything. Imagine a world of late Middle Ages where some guy desperately wants to become a great warrior but is too weak to wield a sword or a longbow… and then you give him a crossbow or a firegun. The effect is similar: you give him a way to achieve his dreams without, you know, exhausting exercise and stuff. Same applies to mind exercise—it is difficult (and its practitioners know it, so SF&F is actually more popular in smart people).