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This shows an older man reading a book in a bookstore

·March 16, 2021·4 min read

Picking up a Book for Fun Positively Affects Verbal Abilities

Whether you are a fan of War and Peace, or would rather immerse yourself in romantic fiction, researchers say the more you read, the better your verbal skills. The study reports those who read fiction for leisure score higher on language tests than those who read to simply access specific information.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 15, 2021·5 min read

What Happens in Your Brain When You ‘Lose Yourself’ in Fiction

Using characters from "Game of Thrones", researchers investigated what happens in the brain when people immerse themselves in fiction. The study found the more people became immersed in a story, the more they "became" the fictional character while reading. This was reflected in activity changes in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with thinking about one's self.

Featured Psychology

·December 19, 2020·4 min read

In Fiction, We Remember the Deaths That Make Us Sad

In fiction, people are more likely to recall the deaths of characters perceived as "meaningful", rather than ones they considered to be "pleasurable".