Stories are a powerful way of creating understanding

Stories grab our attention more than facts. (characters in stories grab the attention more than anything) They can influence our attitudes, feelings and behaviors better than mere facts. This is likely because the rational part of our brain (concerned with facts) is evolutionarily much younger than the older parts concerned with emotions and instincts.

There are several possible explanations for why stories are so powerful (they don't disqualify each other):

• stories were critical for our survival during evolution
• stories engage our brains more than facts (they engage more parts of the brain -> that's why we pay more attention to them)
• stories play an important role in creating social bonds

People experience stories as if they lived them (to a much lesser extent, of course). That makes stories a safe way of exploring different (and potentially dangerous) situations. And also makes them great for creating understanding because stories allow people to create associations. This is especially powerful when combined with interactivity (because Thinking happens not only in our brains, but also bodies and environment)

Tags: storytelling in product design understanding

ID: 2021-0208-0836

References:

• Anderson, Fast – Figure It Out, ch. 4