Читать книгу Figure It Out - Stephen P. Anderson - Страница 55

“Let me tell you a story ...”

Stories are perhaps the most powerful driver of human behaviors. From the inspiring vision cast by a U.S. President (“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”) to the deep, personal narratives we construct that govern our beliefs and behaviors, stories are potent things. In the midst of an otherwise boring speech, the speaker will begin to tell a story, and we can’t help but listen. If I start sharing details of my family vacation to London or begin gossiping about that coworker who tried to get me fired—I’ve got your attention. Quite literally. Our brains cannot help but devote attention to stories.

But why? What is it about stories that grabs our attention? From a neuroscience perspective, if all thoughts are simply a jumble of neurons firing and wiring together, what is it about narrative associations that is so much stronger, compared to other kinds of associations? Stories seem like a much more complicated, sustained web of associations. How does this fit with the “associated concepts” narrative we’re presenting? Figure this out, and you’ve unlocked one of the most potent tools for drawing people into a space where everyone is engaged in the process of understanding.

While investigations into the science of narrative are still at the early stages, there are at least three explanations for why stories are so powerful (none of which invalidates the others). The explanations are as follows:

• We need stories for survival.

• Stories captivate our brain in ways that facts do not.

• Stories are critical to forming social bonds.

Let’s look at each of these in more detail.