The Science Behind the Story
There is a lot of research available on storytelling today. It helps us remember information, build empathy, focus attention, learn new skills, and on and on. What scientists have begun to piece together is that storytelling is a cognitive skill, something our ancestors evolved alongside the increasingly complex social behaviors of our species.
The good news is that every single one of us has inherited this skill. And fortunately, just like you don’t have to study physiology to walk on two feet, neither do you have to study any of the literature on storytelling to reap the benefits. You just have to tell stories!
Still, if you’re like us - you’ll appreciate knowing some of the science behind the story.
Articles & Books That Have Informed Our Work
Note: we have not received any incentives to endorse these resources, nor do we have an affiliate program with any sellers. We legitimately like these people.
On the Origins of Stories
Brian Boyd
A definitive, if academic, treatment of the subject published by Harvard University Press. Boyd is a professor of literature at the University of Auckland, New Zealand who writes frequently on the intersection of literature and evolution.
“Unreal beliefs in unseen forces…are much more likely to motivate action than are modestly real beliefs.”
How Stories Connect and Persuade Us: Unlocking the Brain Power of Narrative
Elena Renken on npr.org
An excellent survey of some of the best brain science available today.
"As you hear a story unfold, your brain waves actually start to synchronize with those of the storyteller, says Uri Hasson, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University.”
The Link Between Memory and Stories
Shawn Callahan in Anecdote
A detailed critique of the science of memory and its link with storytelling.
“There is a meme on the internet (and has even been published) that information conveyed as stories is 22 times more memorable than facts alone. I must admit I even perpetuated the myth...”
Jane Goodall: If You Want Leaders to Truly Listen, Use the Power of Storytelling
Alexandra Gibbs on cnbc.com
A short report on a speech given by Jane Goodall at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“What you have to do is to get into the heart. And how do you get into the heart? With stories.”
The Desirability of Storytellers
Ed Yong in The Atlantic
A brief anthropological study.
“Among Filipino hunter-gatherers, storytelling is valued more than any other skill, and the best storytellers have the most children.”
The Storytelling Animal
Jonathan Gottschall
Comparable to Brian Boyd’s work On the Origin of Stories, this book is more approachable for the layperson. It reads more like a news article than an academic thesis.
“Story is for a human as water is for a fish.”
The Psychological Comforts of Storytelling
Cody C Delistraty in The Atlantic
Another excellent review of some of the research on storytelling.
“Stories can be a way for humans to feel that we have control over the world. They allow people to see patterns where there is chaos, meaning where there is randomness.”
Darwin’s Cathedral
David Sloan Wilson
One of America’s preeminent evolutionary theorists, Wilson’s book is primarily about the role of religion in the evolutionary development of homo sapiens. However, his treatment of the subject, while academic, sheds light on the subject of storytelling.
This page is always in the works. We will post new resources as they come to our attention.