The Psychological Power of Storytelling

Psychology Today (New York, NY), January 16, 2011

Summary:

Stories are authentic human experiences. Stories leap frog the technology and bring us to the core of experience, as any good storyteller (transmedia or otherwise) knows. Our brains still respond to content by looking for the story to make sense out of the experience. No matter what the technology, the meaning starts in the brain. There are several psychological reasons why stories are so powerful. Stories have always been a primal form of communication. Stories are about collaboration and connection. Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Stories provide order. Humans seek certainty and narrative structure is familiar, predictable, and comforting. Stories are how we are wired. Stores take place in the imagination. Stories are the pathway to engaging our right brain and triggering our imagination. By engaging our imagination, we become participants in the narrative.