Reading supernatural scenarios with realistic characters also activates left preCG, poCG and MFG more than realistic scenarios with realistic characters¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Participants displayed significantly higher activation in the left preCG (CH2), poCG (CH3) and MFG (CH8) when reading SR compared to RR. → Xiaodong Xu 2025

Evidence¶

Xiaodong Xu 2025¶

Xiaodong Xu, Cheng Jia, Kang Chen & Lijuan Chen. (2025). Unveiling the neural mechanisms of supernatural fiction comprehension using fNIRS. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00327-0

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Group-level fNIRS activation analysis in the same 61-participant mixed design. Table 1 reports FDR-corrected p values of 0.017, 0.003 and 0.024 for the "higher activation in the left preCG (CH2), poCG(CH3), MFG (CH8)" SR-vs-RR contrasts.

"participants displayed significantly higher activation in the left preCG (CH2), poCG(CH3), MFG (CH8) when reading SR compared to RR"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Functional connectivity within the simulation network increases during comprehension of supernatural narratives with realistic characters — related
• Reading supernatural scenarios with unexpected realistic characters activates the left preCG, poCG and IFG more than reading supernatural scenarios with fictional characters — related
• The SR-related brain-activation pattern occurs only in readers highly familiar with Harry Potter; low-familiarity readers show no significant differences — related
• Supernaturalness ratings correlate positively, but very weakly, with the SR-vs-SF activation difference in the left postcentral gyrus — related