When one reads or hears a story, the brain undergoes a process known as ‘neural coupling’. Neural coupling occurs when the neurons in the brain light up in the same pattern as the storyteller. The human brain runs on electrical pulses. For this reason, the wiring together of the brain neurons causes one to remember information presented in a story. Science shows that neural coupling occurs across many different areas of the brain, and can induce a shared contextual model of the situation.

During story creation and processing, the motor and sensory cortices, as well as the frontal cortex are all engaged. These systems are maintained and supported by feelings of anticipation of the story’s resolution, causing the release of dopamine. Dopamine is an important brain chemical messenger that is involved in such functions as reward, motivation, memory, and attention.

The release of dopamine in large quantities creates feelings of pleasure, which motivates the audience to get more of the story. When one experiences an emotionally-charged story, especially, the brain releases excess dopamine. This makes it easier to remember something with greater accuracy.

Science finds that individuals show different signs when they are engaged in a story. While some people may have sweaty palms, others would blink faster. Depending on the story, an audience may experience a heart skip or a facial expression shift.

For instance, on functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, many different areas of the brain light up when someone is listening to a narrative. A study of listeners revealed that the brain networks that process emotions arising from sounds were activated, especially during the emotional parts of the story.

Melanie Green is a communication professor at the University at Buffalo. She studies the power of narrative, including in doctor-patient communication. She finds that anecdotes can make health advice personally important to a patient. According to her, people are more likely to change their lifestyles when they see a character they identify with making the same change. For example, when a patient hears or reads about someone he or she identifies with who has taken up meditation, the patient is more likely to emulate that behaviour.

Stories shape people’s views of the world in many ways. People’s perceptions of love, the environment, and politics—all can be altered through stories. Stories also have the ability to change attitudes. In most stories, characters that exhibit theft, greed, hate, and disloyalty -usually would have a miserable ending. On the other hand, virtues like love, respect, fidelity, and truth are portrayed as good behaviour that yields happiness, in most cases.

Stories make us care and good stories become memorable. For business, most experts advise that companies should capitalize on content marketing through storytelling to market their brand. This is capable of achieving results since the human brain is programmed for stories.

REFERENCE

Information from the BBC, https://neuroleadership.com/your-brain-at-work/the-neuroscience-of-storytelling/ www.npr.org/sections/health, https://contentmarketinginstitute.com and www.healthline.com/nutrition was used in this story