
Those who tell the stories rule society. (Plato)
The one who tells the stories rules the world. (Hopi Proverb)
The idea that storytelling carries power is not new. Just look at the two quotes above. Same idea, but from two wildly different sources existing in two different times. We’ve intuitively known about story’s ability to influence decisions, bring people together or create division since the beginning of modern time.
The body of research being done on and around the power of story to build community or influence behavior grows exponentially with each year, but we’ll focus on two studies published within the past ten years.
In 2009, Dr. Uri Hasson, a Princeton neuroscience professor, had a graduate assistant tell a story about her disastrous high school prom while inside a fMRI machine that measured and recorded her brain activity. 11 other volunteers were then placed inside the fMRI and listened to the story.
The one who tells the stories rules the world. (Hopi Proverb)
The idea that storytelling carries power is not new. Just look at the two quotes above. Same idea, but from two wildly different sources existing in two different times. We’ve intuitively known about story’s ability to influence decisions, bring people together or create division since the beginning of modern time.
The body of research being done on and around the power of story to build community or influence behavior grows exponentially with each year, but we’ll focus on two studies published within the past ten years.
In 2009, Dr. Uri Hasson, a Princeton neuroscience professor, had a graduate assistant tell a story about her disastrous high school prom while inside a fMRI machine that measured and recorded her brain activity. 11 other volunteers were then placed inside the fMRI and listened to the story.