Brain 'talks over' boring quotes: Top-down activation of voice-selective areas while listening to monotonous direct speech quotations

► Voice areas are more active upon hearing monotonous direct speech quotations. ► Monotonous indirect speech quotations elicit less activation in those areas. ► This pattern cannot be explained by stimuli's acoustic features or vividness. ► Listeners expect vivid vocal depictions for direct speech but not for indirect speech. ► They mentally simulate such depictions to “supplement” monotonous direct speech.