Stories matter. Not just any story, mind you. The story has to be well-told. So, what does that mean?

By the mid-1980’s, cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner advanced the claim in Actual Minds, Possible Worlds (Harvard UP, 1986) that we are twenty-two times more likely to remember a story than fact.

Today, thanks to amazing research in the fields of neuroscience and cognitive psychology, we know more about how stories affect our brains than ever before.

The research of Paul Zak confirms that stories actually alter our brain chemistry, inducing the release of the stress-hormone, cortisol, but also the release of the bonding or empathy hormone, oxytocin. (That’s the same chemical release that occurs when we bond with a human being and experience love. You can guess some of the ramifications in the field of marketing and advertising, for example, where everyone is coming up with new ways for you to fall in love with their product and spend your hard-earned cash.)

Then there’s the fascinating research conducted by Uri Hasson of Princeton University. Hassan has been able to prove that stories can cause your brain to fire on all cylinders — in contrast to those boring powerpoint presentations that put your brain to sleep. Literally. He also explains how the brain activity of a person telling a story and the person listening to it is almost identical. In fact, it mirrors the same activity the brain would have if the listener were living the adventure first-hand.

The implications are extensive. Human beings can share memories and experiences beyond anything we could imagine. Ever felt “like you were there” when reading a book or watching a movie? That’s because, to all intents and purposes, you were. Felt your heart pounding? Experienced distress? Choked back a tear or two? Thank you cortisol and oxytocin.