Storyboarding: The Power of Storytelling, Part 2

In her article Why Storytelling is So Powerful, Susan Bolander describes the biological impacts stories have on our bodies. We’re programmed to communicate emotions through narrative.

When we are engaged by an effective story… we feel as though we are participants. This empathy can motivate us to action.Research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which tracks blood flow in the brain, demonstrates that the activity in listeners’ brains follows and mirrors the brain activity of the storyteller. In other words, listeners’ brains sync with the storyteller’s, and specific areas of the storyteller’s brain that are active while telling the story become active in the listeners’ brains after a short delay.On a more molecular level, research by neuroeconomist Paul Zak has shed light on the neurochemical changes that take place in our brains while we are engaged in a story. During tense moments, our brains produce cortisol, which heightens our focus and keeps our attention. Oxytocin is produced when we are shown kindness; it enhances our sense of empathy and motivates cooperation. A happy ending triggers dopamine, which makes us feel optimistic.

Paul Zak’s article, How Stories Change the Brain, explains research on the impact of advertising.

We’ve recently used the knowledge we’ve developed to test stories that seek to motivate positive behavioral changes. In a recent experiment, participants watched 16 public-service ads from the United Kingdom that were produced by various charities to convince people not to drink and drive, text and drive, or use drugs. We used donations to the featured charities to measure the impact of the ads.

In one version of this experiment, if we gave participants synthetic oxytocin (in the nose, that will reach the brain in an hour), they donated to 57 percent more of the featured charities and donated 56 percent more money than participants given a placebo. Those who received oxytocin also reported more emotional transportation into the world depicted in the ad. Most importantly, these people said they were less likely to engage in the dangerous behaviors shown in the ads.

Storytelling is powerful because stories resonate. Through subconscious chemical reactions, they create empathy, and a good story is memorable. As a result, stories influence our thinking and our behavior.