Ya?l: 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.