I have always been a sucker for a good written story with deeply invested, developed characters. It is interesting how, despite us knowing a TV show or a book is fictional, we find ourselves so emotionally connected to the well-being of the character. We nearly jump out of our chairs through an emotionally heavy victory or sit in suspense when we have no idea what is about to happen next.
“Experience taking” is a theory where, for the moments we are absorbed in a story, we lose the grasp of our own self and slip into the role of the character we are viewing. There is a deep connection we root ourselves onto a screen or page when we find attributes that we admire in characters. The story of these characters can inspire us to march more readily in our own battles in life, or sit with genuine fear and heartbreak when such an emotionally loved character is killed.
I bring up this topic because a beloved character I followed through three books died, and it genuinely sent me into a small depression. The concept of something that is not real having the ability to cause a physiological toll on the body, I found fascinating. When it comes to our emotional cortex, the somatosensory cortex is involved in the emotional reaction of seeing others in pain, creating our sense of empathy. This cortex is connected to the amygdala and insula, further indicating its role in emotion recognition. When this cortex is disrupted, and it is not able to properly regulate emotions, individuals can find themselves with disorders such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
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