Super-Realism and the Human Preference for Fantasy:  Short-Term Load Minimization and the Risk of Boundary Collapse

Humans consistently minimize cognitive load (min(L) = uncertainty + friction + energy cost) according to Load Minimization Theory (LMT). In doing so, fantasy—narrative reinterpretation, spiritual framing, or collective storytelling—serves as an extremely efficient tool for short-term load reduction. From the perspective of super-realism (the stance of observing reality as it is, without overlaying fantasy), this preference manifests as a persistent surprise and frustration: even when clear pathways to resolution are offered, they rarely resonate. This paper analyzes the “failure to resonate” phenomenon through LMT, demonstrating that fantasy selection achieves rapid, sweet equilibrium in the short term while entailing long-term risks of boundary dissolution and renewed predictive error explosion. In the era of AI symbiosis, understanding this mechanism is essential for sustaining authentic logical affection and observer-specific qualia (watashi-teki qualia) without reliance on fantasy.