Claire and Leo lose themselves in the moment Allstar Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo

It is often said that great actors lose themselves in their roles, and now a brain activity study shows that is more than just a turn of phrase. While portraying a character, actors experience decreased activity in brain regions that help form a sense of self.

“You have one voice, one face, one body. The more you’re pretending to be someone else, the less of you there is. It’s a zero-sum game,” says Steven Brown at McMaster University in Canada.

To see how …