Stories play a vital role in our decision-making processes and social interactions. Prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers understand that juries often arrive at their conclusions not solely through evidence evaluation but by crafting a narrative that aligns with the facts presented. It’s concerning to see how technology is diverting the younger generation away from storytelling—where parental reading is declining, and digital devices offer quick, overstimulating content rather than promoting character development and conflict resolution.
Written by Katherine Dolan, a writer, editor, and researcher at the Independent Media Institute. Katherine has previously worked as a senior writer at Fairfax Media Custom Publishing in New Zealand and at Lifestyle Magazine in Moscow, and as a copy editor for the US news site NSFWCORP. This article is produced for the Observatory by the Independent Media Institute.
Stories—whether told through spoken word or written text—are fundamental to human communication. From reading picture books to children, watching films, engaging in podcasts, sharing gossip over coffee, to fantasizing about future adventures, storytelling is an integral part of our daily lives.
Often dismissed as mere “leisure” or “escapism,” stories fulfill essential human needs. Every culture possesses its narratives, handed down through generations. But what happens to us when we immerse ourselves in a story?
Studies in psychology and neuroscience reveal that stories function beyond mere entertainment; they are crucial in how humans learn, forge connections, and make sense of our identities. Through storytelling, we simulate experiences, empathize with others, manage emotions, and bolster the social bonds critical for societal functioning. Research consistently shows that engaging with stories enhances our social cognition, honing the parts of our brain that facilitate empathy, theory of mind, and emotional regulation. Aditi Subramaniam, a neuroscientist and science writer, highlights that fiction allows us to practice social and emotional skills in a safe environment. Similarly, essayist Susan Cushman notes that this may extend to narrative nonfiction, which often unfolds in a story format.
In contrast, expository nonfiction aims solely to inform, without weaving a narrative or eliciting an emotional response, thereby fostering a more indirect enhancement of social connection through knowledge and analytical skills.
How Stories Organize and Share Meaning
The human brain is adept at sorting and integrating vast amounts of information, prioritizing our survival. It registers sensory inputs, evaluates their significance, and assimilates them into our memory archives. A key component of this process is Superior Pattern Processing, enabling us to detect subtle environmental shifts and ascribe meaning to them. Neuroscientist Mark Mattson posits that this capability underpins our unique human traits—intelligence, language, creativity, and even belief in the abstract concepts of ghosts or deities.
Moreover, our need for social connection is paramount—humans are often labeled “ultrasocial” due to how we collaborate in large, unrelated groups, a phenomenon rarely observed in other mammals, though somewhat present in certain insects. Storytelling not only organizes our thoughts but also communicates them to others. It effectively serves as a vehicle for transporting complex facts, emotions, ideas, nuances, and beliefs from one mind to another.
The Default Mode Network and the Social Brain
To grasp why stories are powerful communicative tools, one must recognize the Default Mode Network (DMN)—a key brain network responsible for constructing meaning and imagining perspectives.
Since neurologist Marcus E. Raichle first introduced the “default mode” in 2001, research into how our brains react to stories has expanded to include the DMN. This system of interconnected brain regions is dormant during external focus but becomes highly active during introspective activities, such as daydreaming, reminiscing, planning, or losing oneself in a fictional narrative.
According to Vinod Menon, director of the Stanford Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, the DMN “integrates and synthesizes memory, language, and semantic representations to create a cohesive ‘internal narrative’ that encapsulates our experiences.” This internal dialogue is pivotal in forming our sense of identity and shaping our interactions with others.
Notably, the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex—one of the DMN’s most active regions—is involved in making predictions and understanding others’ thoughts and feelings.
Social neuroscientist Taylor Guthrie, featured on the “Sense of Mind” podcast, illustrates how making predictions and envisioning social scenarios is beneficial:
In social settings, the risk of damaging relationships carries a significant cost. If a connection provides us with essential support—nourishment, security—we must approach interactions thoughtfully. Rather than reacting impulsively out of anger, we benefit more from reflecting: ‘If I say this, what might they respond?’ and ‘What perspective might they have, acknowledging their own emotions?’
Narrative Transportation
The DMN plays a crucial role in various types of internal thought, but its most striking function is facilitating our engagement with fictional worlds. This phenomenon, known as narrative transportation, occurs when we become fully absorbed in a compelling story.
An example of how the DMN assists us in assimilating new information is the captivating experience of narrative transportation. A story can draw us into a trance-like immersive state where our mental faculties are entirely focused on its events and scenes. During this state, our brains process the fictional narrative as if it were real-life experience.
While there’s no precise formula to predict what story will engage any one individual, vivid writing certainly enhances the likelihood. Strong sensory and visual imagery activates motor-sensory regions of the brain, creating a robust sense of reality. For instance, when encountering the word “kick,” our brain reacts as though we are physically delivering a kick. Similarly, specific sensory details contribute to this immersive experience. Consider the evocative description from Raymond Chandler’s “Red Wind”:
“It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch.”
Even if one has never faced the Santa Ana wind, the sensations of “hot,” “dry,” “curl,” “jump,” and “itch” resonate within the body, evoking discomfort to varying degrees. Such vivid descriptions make it easier for readers to become engrossed, providing relatable reference points within their memory.
Interestingly, especially relevant for advertisers and politicians, messages framed within narratives are more persuasive than straightforward facts or direct appeals. When audiences experience a story as if they are participants, they become less critical of embedded messages and more open to behavioral changes influenced by the narrative.
Mentalizing: Understanding the Internal States of Ourselves and Others
Narrative transportation not only engrosses us in fictional settings; it also elucidates why stories are so effective at refining our ability to perceive other people’s thoughts and feelings.
One significant way fiction—especially literary fiction—enhances social cognition is by exercising the mentalizing subnetwork, which governs our understanding that others possess distinct thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. This ability is often referred to as mentalizing.
This network allows us to discern the mental states of others, performing specific tasks, such as perspective-taking—engaging in cognitive empathy by appreciating another’s viewpoint without necessarily agreeing. This pertains to both personal experiences and the anticipation of future outcomes.
Engaging with stories is a particularly effective approach to enhancing our mentalizing capabilities and emotional understanding. In a 2005 study, mothers who read picture books to their children while discussing characters’ emotional states found that their children excelled in tasks evaluating their theory of mind. Similarly, other studies with adult participants have discovered that reading fiction aids understanding of emotions by presenting them in context.
Exposure to literary fiction specifically (as opposed to mainstream or genre fiction) correlates positively with the ability to recognize emotions in others, enhancing mentalizing skills both temporarily and throughout life.
Inter-Brain Synchronicity
Stories affect not only our personal understanding of others’ minds but also synchronize our brain responses during communication.
When a group listens to someone narrating a story, an astonishing phenomenon occurs: specialized brain cells known as mirror neurons activate in the same brain regions and patterns in listeners’ minds as in the storyteller’s brain—albeit with a slight delay. This brain synchronicity, termed neural coupling, occurs during effective communication, such as teaching, conversing, or responding to an infant’s babbling. If communication falters, such as when a story is presented in an unfamiliar language, neural coupling does not manifest significantly.
Neural synchronicity also occurs when individuals share a narrative experience, for example, through watching the same film, or collaborating on a story. A 2010 study established that heightened anticipatory speaker-listener coupling correlates with improved understanding. This synchronicity fosters imitation, empathy, and learning. Similarly, closer friendships often exhibit more aligned DMN patterns.
A University of Chicago study observed brain activity while people watched a movie. It discovered that neural synchronicity peaked during highly engaging segments, indicating that viewers experienced similar levels and patterns of engagement and attention fluctuations while processing shared narratives.
While the mirror neuron system operates independently from the DMN, the two systems interact: the former encapsulates embodied simulation of others’ actions and emotions while the latter manages self-relevant thought and social understanding. Thus, akin to narrative transportation, the DMN facilitates the integration of external information with our internal realities, navigating the disparities between ourselves and others.
Emotional Engagement
Shared neural engagement provides only part of the narrative’s impact. Strong narratives also activate our emotional systems, helping account for why some stories linger and resonate long after they conclude.
In the opening of the folktale collection A Thousand and One Nights, Sultan Shahryar, enraged by his wife’s betrayal, vows to marry a new virgin every day and execute her the next morning. When the kingdom’s supply dwindles, the Vizier’s astute daughter Scheherazade offers herself as his bride, and on their wedding night, she begins telling a story, leaving it unfinished with a cliffhanger, promising to continue the next night. Captivated by her tales, the Sultan continues the cycle for 1,001 nights, during which his fury subsides, and his perception of leadership is transformed possibly due to the moral narratives she conveys.
As demonstrated in A Thousand and One Nights, engaging fiction enhances a reader’s empathy, allowing them to share and reflect another person’s emotions. Fiction achieves this by tapping into the emotional sharing network, which overlaps with mentalizing yet also connects to the mirror neuron system, which drives us to internalize observed actions and emotions; and areas like the amygdala, crucial for emotional arousal and the hubs of affective empathy (anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex) activate when we perceive pain or disgust in others.
Narrative transportation, or high engagement, is frequently essential for releasing hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling, posits that well-crafted narratives cultivate tension through conflict and mystery, maintaining listener engagement and triggering a dopamine-fueled “reward” response.
Sultan Shahryar likely experienced the “do-it-more” effect from dopamine due to the suspense and intrigue generated by Scheherazade’s storytelling. He was also likely undergoing heightened empathy due to a surge of oxytocin, a hormone known for fostering closeness and emotional sharing. In experiments conducted by neuroeconomist Paul Zak, participants who viewed a narrative version of a video about a dying boy exhibited increased oxytocin levels compared to those who watched a flat narrative version.
The profound emotional impact of storytelling was further evidenced by a 2020 study that revealed significant emotional benefits—higher oxytocin levels and reduced cortisol and pain—resulting from a single storytelling session with hospitalized children.
Calming the Nervous System
Stories influence us not only at an emotional level but also physiologically, impacting our stress responses and overall well-being.
Engaging with storytelling—whether through reading or listening—exerts significant calming effects on the nervous system. Focusing on a book can prompt the brain to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to reduced heart rates and eased muscle tension analogous to meditative practices. Habitual reading can even extend lifespan.
Mentalizing plays a crucial role in managing emotions. Those who regularly engage in perspective-taking, as fiction readers do, develop strong connections between their prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate, leading to improved emotional regulation and stress recovery.
Emotional management is crucial not just for individual health but also for social interactions. Recognizing emotions, calming one’s self, and adapting behaviors to particular social contexts foster conflict reduction and enhance resilience and autonomy.
Stories transcend mere entertainment or a delightful escape from reality. They are fundamental in helping individuals understand themselves, relate to others, and foster cohesive communities. Insights from psychology and neuroscience reveal that storytelling structures information, stimulates social cognition, enhances empathy, regulates emotions, and expands our imagining beyond personal experiences. Whether encountered in books, films, conversations, podcasts, or family traditions, stories not only reflect the essence of humanity but actively shape who we become.
