Exactly this. Just after I read the abstract, it reminded me of reading a long, engrossing novel (like War and Peace, LOTR, etc.), or watching a similar TV/Web

Exactly this. Just after I read the abstract, it reminded me of reading a long, engrossing novel (like War and Peace, LOTR, etc.), or watching a similar TV/Web series (like The Wire, Breaking Bad, etc.) To a large extent I read long novels for this effect. It gives you momentary escape from your reality, and when you "come back", you come back better. I also want to point out that novels can be addictive in a bad way. Long art forms suspends reality for a time period.