Fiction authors of the world will be interested in this article I just read in the New York Times "Sunday Review" section.

In brief, it indicates that there is now scientific evidence proving that when we read a novel, the brain responds to the depictions of smells and textures and movements we're reading about just as if it is encountering the real thing.

And, our brain treats the interactions among the fictional characters we read about very much as the same as it treats real-life social encounters.

I find this fascinating -- and hugely impactful. Here's a peek at the initial paragraph:

Quote:

Your Brain on Fiction
By ANNIE MURPHY PAUL
Published: March 17, 2012

AMID the squawks and pings of our digital devices, the old-fashioned virtues of reading novels can seem faded, even futile. But new support for the value of fiction is arriving from an unexpected quarter: neuroscience.


I hope all our fiction authors will read and weigh in on this... Who knew the works of fiction we read and write were this powerful? And what responsibilities - if any - does this new knowledge place on authors' shoulders?
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