{
  "id": 16066833,
  "title": "The same novel can spark very different inner worlds in readers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/the-same-novel-can-spark-very-different-inner-worlds-in-readers",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-22T16:00:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-worlds-readers.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Every storybook offers a unique gateway for our imagination to transcend the world around us. While the author's words serve as a guide, each individual experiences fiction in their own way, envisioning vivid mental images and forming emotional connections with characters. A new Durham University and Edinburgh International Book Festival study, the ReaderBank Imagination Quiz (RBIQ), delves into the diverse ways we imagine while reading. The questionnaire assesses mental processes such as visualizing scenes, hearing character voices, projecting character actions in real-life scenarios, and shifting narrative perspectives. Beyond simply picturing the story in one's mind's eye, the survey reveals a complex interplay of four distinct subscales: space and vision, voice and language, people models, and perspective. Readers who vividly imagine scenes and build detailed character mental models often feel more immersed in the story and engage in constructive daydreaming. However, character modeling has been linked to intrusive or unwanted thoughts. The study, published in Royal Society Open Science, provides insight into how our reading experiences differ from one another, even when engaging with the same text. Researchers are exploring how these varying imaginative dimensions intertwine to shape our reading experiences.",
  "summary": "Every storybook opens a window for our imagination to be freed from the reality of the world around us and escape into the fictional world. While the author's words act as a guide, everyone experiences fiction in their own way, creating vivid mental pictures and even forming an emotional connection with the characters.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}