That would indeed be a fascinating study. Anecdotally, I think, what I say in the article here rings true, at least for me.

Of course, there are exceptions to every empirical generalization, so you do have some individuals who don't even understand metaphors and are interested strictly in literal truths. But by and large, I think that in our personal lives we're more interested in story-telling than in strictly rational deduction.

All of which surely comes to a head in our moments of dying or greatest suffering. It's not that we then make up new stories, but that we fall back on our most cherished personal narratives because in those moments we have absolutely nothing else to comfort us (especially when we're dying, when all our possessions and even loved ones count for nothing).

It's our best stories vs the indifferent wasteland.