Paul Zak, a neuroeconomist at Claremont Graduate University, identified a neurochemical called oxytocin, a molecule in the hypothalamus of the human brain.1 He argues that oxytocin, whose synthesis and release is associated with trust and caring, is created and released when a person listens to a powerful story (or narrative) and that this release can lead to changes in the listener’s postnarrative behavior. In addition, during stressful moments in stories, the brain releases cortisol, allowing the listener to focus. Other research also finds that happy endings trigger the limbic portion of
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