By Danielle Oristian York
As many of you know, we are passionate about storytelling here at 21/64. Personally, I spent many Thanksgiving nights crunched in my pajamas on the top stair in the home where I was raised. Well past bedtime, my cousins and I would quietly sit straining to listen to the stories and conversations happening downstairs. We wanted desperately to be there in that dining room-they were talking about great stuff, laughing and telling stories. I was reminded of those times at the top of the stairs this weekend as I came across this article in the Atlantic – The Psychological Comforts of Storytelling
So, this year, if you find some little people loitering on your stairs long after bedtime this Thanksgiving, you¹ll have a sense of what may be motivating them after reading this article, or at least the pieces I¹ve excerpted below.
- They think you¹re a hero:
“The value humans place on narrative is made clear in the high esteem given to storytellers. Authors, actors, directors‹people who spin narratives for a living are some of the most famous people in the world. Stories are a form of escapism, one that can sometimes make us better people while entertaining, but there seems to be something more at play.²
- They are learning how to survive:
But why start telling stories in the first place? Their usefulness in understanding others is one reason, but another theory is that storytelling could be an evolutionary mechanism that helped keep our ancestors alive.
The theory is that if I tell you a story about how to survive, you¹ll be more likely to actually survive than if I just give you facts. For instance, if I were to say, ³There¹s an animal near that tree, so don¹t go over there,² it would not be as effective as if I were to tell you, ³My cousin was eaten by a malicious, scary creature that lurks around that tree, so don¹t go over there.² A narrative works off of both data and emotions, which is significantly more effective in engaging a listener than data alone. In fact, Jennifer Aaker, a professor of marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, says that people remember information when it is weaved into narratives ³up to 22 times more than facts alone.²
- They are developing empathy:
Stories can also inform people¹s emotional lives. Storytelling, especially in novels, allows people to peek into someone¹s conscience to see how other people think. This can affirm our own beliefs and perceptions, but more often, it challenges them. Psychology researcher Dan Johnson recently published a studyin Basic and Applied Social Psychology that found reading fiction significantly increased empathy towards others, especially people the readers initially perceived as ³outsiders² (e.g. foreigners, people of a different race, skin color, or religion).
And
Interestingly, the more absorbed in the story the readers were, the more empathetic they behaved in real life. Johnson tested this by ³accidentally² dropping a handful of pens when participants did not think they were being assessed. Those who had previously reported being ³highly absorbed² in the story were about twice as likely to help pick up the pens.
- They are trying to make sense of the world and see their place in it:
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. Humans are inclined to see narratives where there are none because it can afford meaning to our lives‹a form of existential problem-solving.
I hoping you¹ll get some good stories cooking around your holiday tables this year. And if you need a little help getting started check out our new tool Family Diagram and the Exploring Cards designed to get people telling their stories.
