Yaël: Hey Don, whatcha reading? Don? Don!

Don: Huh?

Y: I asked what book you're reading.

D: Oh, sorry. I guess I was lost in the story.

Y: That's OK. That's what a good story will do, right? In fact, there's a study that      explains what's going on the brain when we get caught up in a story.

D: Do tell.

Y: Basically, according to the study, when you read a story that engages you, your brain      creates detailed and vivid simulations of the details in the story.

D: You mean that when I'm reading, my brain is activated as though I'm actually doing      the things I'm reading about?

Y: Or observing them, or imagining them. The point is that reading isn't a passive activity      where the brain is just processing language. It's much more dynamic and active. So if      you're reading a book about baseball, say, the brain reacts in ways similar to how it      would if you were actually playing baseball, or watching a game, or imagining      yourself hitting a ball, or whatever.

D: Interesting. How was this studied?

Y: That's interesting, too. The researchers studied readers' brains using an MRI scanner.      But because the readers had to remain perfectly still, their heads were immobilized as      they read the story one word at a time on a computer screen.

D: That's hardly a typical reading experience.

Y: True. But even reading stories in that strange, one-word-at-a-time way, the readers'      brains were still activated to create mental simulations of the story.

D: So what does this mean?

Y: Maybe that being lost in a good book doesn't mean you're zoned out. It's more like      your brain is tuned in.  

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