As writers, we are well aware of the power of a good story and the fun of losing yourself in a book, putting yourself in the position of various characters and following them throughout the story. It’s one of the great things about reading – as well as part of the fun of writing – and it also seems that losing yourself in a character’s trials could affect your real life too.

This article offers an interesting insight into what can happen when we get really caught up in a story – it can influence our opinions and our actions. The article is an interesting read for anyone who loves reading or writing, offering an overview of a couple of experiments where people were asked to read a story and the results were examined. For instance, it was found that when people read a story about a character overcoming difficulties in order to vote, they were more likely to vote in an upcoming election.

It also looks at things that might affect a reader’s ability to take on the character’s identity – if they are unable to forget about their own identity (such as if they’re in a room with a mirror, as found by one experiment), it is harder for them to achieve the effect.

It could also offer some useful thoughts for writers hoping to create a character that readers are really able to lose themselves in, and perhaps highlights the need for us to create compelling characters that people are able to identify with if we want our books to have as much impact as possible. Whatever your view on the matter, it’s certainly an interesting issue and an important reminder of just what stories can be capable of.