What Happens In Your Brain When You Try To Do Impressions
Impersonation Science Michael Bulcik / SKS Soft GmbH Düsseldorf via Wikimedia Commons Sympathies to the researcher who had to listen to amateur impressions all day. Scientists have identified what happens in our brain when we mimic a foreign accent or impersonate another person, according to a recent study from the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. The researchers, led by psychologist Carolyn McGettigan from Royal Holloway University of London, wanted to explore the way the brain controls the non-verbal aspects of our speech--the different tones or styles people use when talking in different contexts, like talking to your boss on the phone versus chatting with a friend in a coffee shop or hitting on someone at a bar. Popular selections included Sean Connery, Elvis and Bill Clinton. Before the study began, participants--all "non-professional impressionists"--were asked to make a list of 40 different accents and 40 people, from their mother to Arnold Schwarzenegger,...