The Role-Playing Brain

Introduction

This study will explore the neural basis of fictional role playing, with the aim of comparing novices and professional actors, where a novice would represent the typical type of client in a drama therapy or psychodramatic setting. In addition, the study will examine potential brain differences between portraying familiar vs. fictional others in order to determine if psychodrama and drama therapy tap into similar or different neural mechanisms. The study will shed light on the brain mechanisms by which drama-based therapies are able to improve well-being.

Scope 

A primary aim of this study is to establish a brain signature for acting in novices in order to complement previous functional MRI work on trained actors. The research team will examine role-playing in the brain by having participants in an MRI scanner answer hypothetical questions from either their own first-person (1P) perspective or from a fictional first-person (Fic1P) perspective.

This is a new field of inquiry for which there are relatively few studies. The study will provide novel insights into the neural basis of role playing. It will reveal the areas of the brain that change when a person attempts to impersonate a fictional character or a familiar individual. The study may have clinical implications for drama-based therapies by developing a deeper understanding of the specific brain processing that occurs during role play.

Insights and Deliverables

The research team completed a rapid review of 87 peer-reviewed studies (2010–2025) to examine how role-play is used across different contexts and what outcomes it produces, highlighting key domains, measurement approaches, and gaps in the evidence (under review, 2026)

The research team will complete the fMRI study over the course of 2026. The principal findings of the fMRI study will be submitted to scientific research journals and presented at research conferences in fields such as cognitive neuroscience and drama therapy.

Project Team

Led by Dr Nisha Sajnani (JA&HL, NYU Steinhardt), Dr. Alexandru Berceanu (National University of Theatre and Film), and Dr. Steven Brown (McMaster University), the research team consists of members from the Jameel Arts & Health Lab and National University of Theatre and Film. 

Funding and Support

Support for this project was provided by the Ilse Melamid Health Equity Fund.

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