The power of imagination

You know when they told us that reading a book can change us? Well, recently it has been proven. The scientists have conducted a research and it has showed that each book we read can affect and change our brain.

The experiment lasted 19 days and each day in the morning the volunteers were examined with the magnetic resonance. After five days of not reading anything at all, the participants were to read 30 pages of Robert Harris’s Pompei- in the evening and next day-in the morning their knowledge was tested by a short quiz about the content of the book and after that: their brains were once again examined with the magnetic resonance. Last five days, just like at the very beginning, they didn’t read anything. The results were surprising. In brief: our brains were acting as if we were taking part in the activities described in the book. While reading, we tend to imagine ourselves being characters of the stories and it was visible on the resonance. Of course, there’re some scientist that sustain that even though the results in fact are interesting and it’s clear that books evoke in us strong emotions and reactions, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean that our brains react as we were the participants of described actions.

I think that there’s some true in it. It happens to me that sometimes I get drawn into the stories I read and I can’t help imagining myself as one of the protagonists. What I would do if I were in their shoes? That’s the question I ask myself quite often, usually getting mad at the characters that make mistakes.

Comments

Christmas Traditions

We’re all used to Polish Christmas traditions and they don’t seem to be weird for us but some foreigners might find them unusual. Just like we consider many of their habits quite bizarre. Here’s the list of 8 that I find particularly different. 1. In Austria, parents threat their children with Krampus- the evil brother of Santa that comes overnight on 5 th and 6 th of December and punishes bad kids. He’s truly scary and has goat’s horns on his head. During this night we may encounter many people dressed as Krampus in the streets. 2. Japanese eat KFC on Christmas Day. 3. In India the traditional Christmas tree is a banana or mango tree. 4. Women in Czech Republic have a tradition to make some predictions or foretells during the Holiday. For example they throw a shoe over the shoulder and if it lays in the way that the...

In 2015: More people have died by taking selfies than by shark attacks

Although people tend to be afraid of shark attacks, the fear is not entirely justified and it most likely a result of movies fiction than being a witness of one. In fact, in 2015, there have been twelve recorded selfie deaths in comparison to eight people dying because of shark attacks. Most of the selfie-related deaths have been due to falling. The next most common is when people are trying to take a selfie, and they're hit by a moving vehicle. In order to get a good shoot people risk more and more. Everyone wants to have an unique picture. Some are crossing the line and in exchange for likes are taking the whole selfie thing a little too far. In Russia selfie deaths have become so popular that the government even released a guide detailing how not to die while taking a picture of yourself.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition

It’s the last call for everyone who’s interested in visiting the Frida Kahlo exhibition in Poznań. It will be held until 21 st of January in Centrum Kultury ZAMEK in Poznań. The exhibition is there from September and has so far attracted a lot of visitors from all around the country. The organiser of the event says that that’s the first and only exhibition of Kahlo’s and Diego Rivera’s works with the “polish accent” (barely known polish thread concerning their artistic creation). You can purchase the tickets online or directly at the museum, but please consider that there’s a big likelihood of crowds, specially during the last weekend. For any further information, you can contact the official website.

Fun facts and interesting events

Search This Blog