Mind reading is a power that has fascinated and terrified people for centuries. Who hasn’t, at one point, wanted to know what someone else was thinking? We chose this power for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's pretty popular, so there's a good chance someone out there is coming to terms with it. Also, there's great potential for it be used for both good and evil, so we're happy to share some advice to keep you on the right track.

Being able to read another person’s thoughts gives one a lot of power over that person, so if you have discovered you have this ability, you must be really careful. It’s easy to overstep boundaries here; invading someone’s mind can be a breach of privacy. An important rule to follow is to NOT share a person’s thoughts with anyone but them. If you learn something extraordinarily personal, do NOT share this with others. And do NOT use their thoughts to manipulate or blackmail them! It's a great idea to ask for consent before looking into someone's mind. Perhaps you notice your friend is feeling really down. If they don't feel like talking about it, with their okay, you can peek inside their brain and find out what's wrong and what you can do to help.

Mind reading as we know it doesn't exist yet, but scientists are getting close to being able to read your thoughts, thanks to advancements in MRI technology. MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging - basically, the process of taking a scan of the body. When the brain is specifically targeted so doctors and scientists can map brain functions, it's called fMRI. When scanning a brain using fMRI technology, the scientists can see blood flowing to different parts of the brain. Now, you may know that different regions of the brain control different things. So by seeing where the blood is flowing to, they can see what area is in use, and get an idea of what you're thinking of. For example, a person is shown a photo of a dog. The machine scans their brain, and the computer notes which parts of the brain light up. With the help of a complicated algorithm, the machine can actually tell you that the person is thinking of a dog! Though this technology can only read very simple thoughts, with more research, scientists may be able to decipher complex sentences and feelings. Amazing, isn't it? Let's just hope they use their newfound powers responsibly!