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Hearing voices, speaking to oneself and having imaginary friends are hardly ever perceived as traits of sanity. But have we ever stopped to think why? Is there a scientific foundation to these bad connotations? A study by academics at the University of Durham has been set up to examine the phenomenon of “hearing voices” from all points of view: medical, spiritual and literary.
As part of it, they are asking readers and writers at the Edinburgh international book festival to share why and how they hear voices when no-one is speaking, and they are also hosting a series of events to tackle “inner monologues, imaginary childhood friends and the demands character voices place on a novelist”. In addition, they have commissioned stories from The Moth, the legendary US storytelling organisation.
If you’re keen to take part in their scientific study, do so by clicking on this link – it’s really interesting. The Guardian will be covering the events and will bring you news and blogs from our books and science teams soon. But at the same time, we couldn’t help but ask you to share your experiences, to get an unscientific but surely fascinating debate going. What’s your personal experience when you read? Here are some of their questions to get you thinking:
- Do you ever hear characters’ voices when you are reading? If so, how often?
- Do you have visual or other sensory experiences of characters when reading?
- How easy do you find it to imagine a character’s voice when reading? How vivid are these voices when you read?
Share your experiences in the comment thread below and we will publish a selection.
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