Storytelling
We are wired for story, but what does that actually mean? Storytelling is an evolutionary act - it keeps us safe, passes on knowledge and is key to our survival and empathy.
Storytelling
Reflection can mean both “to think about” and “to mirror.” Often an action caught in a story forms a pattern which is also present on another level of consciousness
Idries Shah • A Unique Form of Literature
there was substantial overlap in the brain networks used to understand stories and the networks used to navigate interactions with other individuals — in particular, interactions in which we’re trying to figure out the thoughts and feelings of others. Scientists call this capacity of the brain to construct a map of other people’s intentions “theory... See more
Annie Murphy Paul • Opinion | Your Brain on Fiction (Published 2012)
Complex speech enabled cultural development, since it meant individuals could verbally share ideas and concepts.
Sally Mallam • The Evolution of Storytelling
Many wars in history were fought over stories
Carmine Gallo • The Power Of Storytellers To Shape Our World
It’s testament to the powers of the storytelling brain that many psychologists argue that human language evolved in the first place in order to tell tales about each other.
Will Storr • The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better
An even older spatial memory technique used by Indigenous populations living in Australia (i.e., Aboriginal peoples living in Australia) involves creating a story in an actual physical space, using elements in the environment as part of the narrative. Among Aboriginal populations living in Australia, these stories tend to remarkably remain consiste... See more
Introduction to Psychology & Neuroscience – Simple Book Publishing
Humans have evolved the capacity to create and believe in stories. Narratives can also transcend the “here and now” by introducing individuals to situations beyond their everyday experience, which may increase empathy and perspective-taking towards others, including strangers.
Daniel Smith • Why do we tell stories? Hunter-gatherers shed light on the evolutionary roots of fiction
Oral stories were absorbed into the mythologies of different places and cultures, and versions of them, now written down, followed the same tradition.
Sally Mallam • Meta Storytelling
We’ll never know exactly how these early hominids communicated, but it is obvious that they did. It is certain that they handed down experiences and knowledge, aided by facial gestures and vocal sounds. In this way, mimesis would eventually have led speech to emerge as the dominant mode of communication.