Reading supernatural scenarios with unexpected realistic characters activates the left preCG, poCG and IFG more than reading supernatural scenarios with fictional characters¶

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

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Participants exhibited significantly higher activation in the left preCG (CH2), poCG (CH3) and IFG (CH13) when reading supernatural scenarios with realistic characters (SR) compared to supernatural scenarios with fictional characters (SF). → 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 · r?

Group-level fNIRS activation analysis of 61 adult readers in a 3×2 mixed design (Scenario Type within-subject; HP familiarity between-subject). The activation results (Table 1) show FDR-corrected p values of 0.010, 0.006 and 0.009 for the "higher activation in the left preCG (CH2), poCG(CH3) and IFG (CH13)" SR-vs-SF contrasts.

"participants exhibited significantly higher activation in the left preCG (CH2), poCG(CH3) and IFG (CH13) when reading SR compared to SF"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Functional connectivity within the simulation network increases during comprehension of supernatural narratives with realistic characters — related
• Reading supernatural scenarios with realistic characters also activates left preCG, poCG and MFG more than realistic scenarios with realistic characters — related
• Supernaturalness ratings correlate positively, but very weakly, with the SR-vs-SF activation difference in the left postcentral gyrus — related
• Increased inter-hemispheric functional connectivity during supernatural reading appears only in high-familiarity readers and is absent in low-familiarity readers — related
• The SR-related brain-activation pattern occurs only in readers highly familiar with Harry Potter; low-familiarity readers show no significant differences — related
• When physicists with a Ph.D. confront naive ideas in their domain of expertise, MFG and IFG associated with inhibitory control are significantly more activated by incongruent than congruent statements — related