The Neuroscience of "Movie Night"

Did you ever notice when you see a close up of Julia Roberts smiling on the big screen, you have an urge to smile back?  That's an effect of your brain's "Mirror Rule" according to Dr. Jeff Zacks of Washington University.  Watching movies in a theater stimulates the signals in our brains more than almost any other activity.  Dr. Zacks investigates the various ways your brain is being manipulated while you are watching movies – including how propaganda movies embed into your memory more powerfully than books or any other medium.  Plus – how "the talkies" changed us!