Test. The brain at play

Anouk Greenberg’s long investigation, which lasted seven years, removes the veil from the scientific and technical mystery that lurks in the game, as the actress asked her friends’ actors to stretch their brains, and neuroscientists to expand neurons. What do the artists say? What does science tell us?

his article, In the brains of comedians And Not a way to keep the magic away from viewers by those who authorize play. “I’m talking about what is beautiful about this job. Beautiful and mysterious at the same time. Science illuminates this beauty. Until about ten years ago, the answers were confined to the level of psychology. But with neuroscience, we were able to enter the cave of our heads. With them I understood many of our processes, invisible to our consciousness, and took part in the game. ”

No emotion manipulators

Anouk Greenberg has always wondered how it works. “I’ve always been amazed at the actors, and I’ve always wondered how, when I’m playing, I can be crossed by things I haven’t tried. To play with someone is to play beyond them. I wanted to go further. Is what I imagine Right for the brain? Saw what jumps like popcorn? Am I a real person, I’m the one who cheats all the time, I’m the one who always pretends?”

With her book, she came to the conclusion that actors are not “emotional manipulators.” No professional liars.

It is believed that only comedians play comedy. And that they have this talent, this talent, this mystery that escapes ordinary humans. special presence. They play, they blow up the screen, they tempt us, they touch us.

represent life

But what we learn, by reading the crazy work of Anouk Grinberg, scholar and cheerleader, In the brains of comedians is that the brains of ordinary people are also constantly playing, and as Mr. Jordan in prose: without knowing it. From there, to say we make movies… “My book is about the game, but also about me. Who we are in life.”

We all tell each other’s stories, we are all artists. Speaking of the actors, Anouk Greenberg talks about ourselves, our daily lives, and our emotions. “Our brain is made this way: it simulates in order to live. We are imitations, not in the sense of cheating, but in the sense of representing life for ourselves, to make it appear. It is our way of knowing and experiencing the world. Everyone does it, even those who are not actors. Both simulations We have our transformation into actors interacting with other actors. And all these actors don’t realize it”

In the brains of comedians, encounters with actors and scientistsby Anouk Greenberg. Editions of Odile Jacob. 22.90 euros.