reading becomes us
In what Geoff Kaufman and Lisa Libby term "experience-taking," it turns out that reading about characters can actually influence us to become more like them. The effects actually seem to persist and even influence some real-world behavior. There are as many questions raised as answered by these findings, but it's intriguing to consider. http://io9.com/psychology/ So we become what we read. Sounds an awful lot like the old adage "you are what you eat." (If so, I am comprised of much more kale than you might suspect just looking at me.) More fun links on this phenomenon: http://jezebel.com/character/ http://www.sunstoneonline.com/tag/reading