Researchers chose seven passages from across all 120 Harry Potter books . These passages were read by participants while in an fMRI scanner . Each was rated on how negative or positive , and how arousing they were . Scans revealed passages rated high for arousal activated parts of the brain associated with emotion , including the left amygdala .
Researchers chose 120 passages from across all seven Harry Potter books . These passages were read by participants while in an fMRI scanner . Each was rated on how negative or positive , and how arousing they were . Scans revealed passages rated high for arousal activated parts of the brain associated with emotion , including the left amygdala .