Why we tell stories

Wake up and within two minutes you’re forming a story in your imagination. It might be a story about how you did or didn’t sleep well last night. It might be a story about an encounter—either desired or feared—that you’ll have during the day. It might be a story about why your child is not yet awake, even though the alarm for school should have gone off by now. Point is, we all navigate through the day telling ourselves and others stories because we have a unique human ability—we can conjure up into consciousness images of people and things that are not there. You may not think of your thoughts as imaginary, yet neuroscientists have proven (more on these guys later) that, when we’re in the middle of telling the good tale, we make up whatever “facts” we need to keep the story going. The brain’s left hemisphere works non-stop concocting hypotheses about why things are they way they are, and what might happen as a result. This story-telling ability allows us to anticipate events that may either prolong or cut-short our survival, and was very handy as we evolved. Stories make us human, and this blog explores the biological, psychological, and evolutionary nature of our narrative minds. It also provides tools for unpacking your own stories and for forming a life narrative that allows for a happy life, as well as a happy ending.
“We stand around in a ring and suppose; But the secret sits in the middle—and knows.” Robert Frost