Your Brain – Raymond Mar a psychologist at York

Raymond Mar, a psychologist at York University, Canada, reviewed 86 fMRI studies published last year in the Annual Review of Psychology and concluded that there is a significant overlap between the brain networks used to understand the stories and the networks used to navigate the interactions with others – especially the interactions in which we try to discover the thoughts and feelings of others. Last month, a research team from the Emory University of Brain and Language reported that when subjects read a texture metaphor in their lab, the sensory cortex responsible for perceiving textures through touch is activated. In a study of the cognitive Véronique Boulenger of the Laboratoire de dynamique du langage in France, the brains of the participants were scanned with phrases like “Jean took the object” and “Pablo hit the ball”. “The scans showed activity in the motor cortex that coordinated the movements of the body. Scientists call the ability of the brain to create a map of others’ intentions “the theory of thought”. “Stories offer a unique opportunity to use this ability to identify with the desires and frustrations of characters, to guess their hidden motives, and to follow their encounters with friends and enemies, neighbors and loved ones. Mar, in collaboration with some other scientists in two studies published in 2006 and 2009, reported that those who read novels often seem to be able to better understand others, identify with them and see the world from their point of view. Also the way in which the brain treats metaphors has been widely studied; some scientists say that expressions such as “a difficult day” are so familiar that they are no longer just words and are no longer treated. Researchers have long known that areas of “classic” language, such as Broca and Wernicke, are involved in the way the brain interprets written words. Researchers found that words describing movement also stimulate brain regions that differ from language processing areas. And it has been shown that the brain responds to smells, textures and movements as if they were real smells, textures and movements, treating the interactions between fictitious characters as a kind of real social encounter. The brain doesn’t seem to make much difference between reading an experience and real life; at least the same neurological areas are stimulated. What scientists have discovered in recent years is that the stories also activate many other parts of our brain, suggesting why the reading experience seems so alive. Brain scans show what happens in our minds when we read a detailed description, a suggestive metaphor or an emotional exchange between characters. The novel, in fact, goes beyond the simulation of reality to offer the reader an experience that is not possible off-page: the ability to fully participate in the thoughts and feelings of others. Metaphors like “The singer had a velvet voice” and “He had leather hands” awakened the sensory cortex, while phrases corresponding to the meaning of “The singer had a pleasant voice” and “He had strong hands” did not.