The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell

by Fritz Alwin Breithaupt Ph.D.

An investigation of the emotional power of narrative that illuminates the relationship between the human brain and the stories we tell
 
As humans, we think in stories—stories that allow us to feel and share emotions. In order for this phenomenon to work, our brains and the ways in which we tell stories must be attuned to each other. But how exactly does this happen?
 
Tapping into the essence of thinking in stories, Fritz Breithaupt draws on the latest scientific research, including a retelling study (comparable to the telephone game) with more than 12,000 participants, and experiments in which ChatGPT functions as storyteller. This wide-ranging study includes analyses of political history, novels, fairy tales, and everyday office gossip; proposes a new theory of narrative that focuses on emotions and affects; and hypothesizes on the evolution of narratives among our hominid ancestors. Redefining us as beings who anchor ourselves in the world through narratives, Breithaupt introduces a new kind of psychology that cuts to the core of how and why humans feel the need to tell stories.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Biology, Neuroscience

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2025

Reviews

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways this book seemed to me to be the “psychological” version of the literature book entitled “The seven basic plots.” The author identifies what are the narrative lines around which the stories we tell ourselves or how we decide to tell ourselves about the present (or the past or the future) unfold and the reasons why we do so and the implicit goals behind our stories. It is not an umbrella book by any means, but it is certainly very interesting.

Per certi versi questo libro mi é sembrato la versione "psicologica" del libro di letteratura che s'Intitola "The seven basic plots". L'autore identifica quali sono le linee narrative attorno alle quali si dipanano le storia che ci diciamo o come noi decidiamo di raccontarci il presente (o il passato o il futuro) e le ragioni per cui facciamo cosí e gli obiettivi impliciti che sottendono ai nostri racconti. Non é un libro da ombrellone assolutamente, ma certamente é molto interessante.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Claire Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise of this book is simple but very compelling — the way that we process our world is through storytelling (our narrative brain). I enjoyed the variety of empirical data from Breithaupt’s lab woven throughout the book that shed light on various aspects of narrative thinking but also how accessible the material was (sometimes these kinds of books sound interesting and then are a slog to get through — this was not the case for this book!). Breithaupt was thoughtful about the connections between various studies and examples and the book had a great flow. I appreciated the German literary examples, which I think added a novel depth and breadth to his arguments of how we process the episodes of our own modern life. Would recommend to both nerdy and general audiences! It has influenced the way that I process and reflect on the stories of others as well as my own “narrative life.”

I read both a physical copy and listened to the audio version and actually thought the audio made the flow even better (narrator voice just okay, but it came off with a good narrative flow).

[Debbie Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Narrative Brain is an interesting and informative look at how the brain functions. We lose ourselves in daydreams and what-if scenarios, but I never thought about how much of our thinking depends on the brain's capacity for storytelling. This is by no means an easy read, and I often found it repetitive or dwelling on a point too long, still it sheds great light on how we think and process information and emotions.

[Debbie Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the introduction. The rest was mostly unreadable.