Chances are if you spent a lot of your time playing Pokémon as a kid, there’s a region of your brain that responds positively to character images from the popular series.
According to a study from Standford University, adults who played the games regularly during their childhood have a special part of their brains reserved for remembering Pikachu et al.
The researchers showed test subjects hundreds of Pokémon characters and the brains of longtime fans were stimulated way more than those of persons who aren’t as familiar with the game.
This seems pretty obvious, right? However, what’s really interesting is the fact that a specific fold called the occipitotemporal sulcus has been activated in the brains of Pokémon fans. The region, located just behind the ears, was not stimulated when non-Pokémon fans were shown images.
