The Power of a Good Story

So I’m reading a book called Tell Me a Story: Narrative and Intelligence, by Roger C. Schank, as a part of my research for Duarte Design. This is my 2nd book on the power of storytelling and the reality of that power is starting to dawn on me. According to Schank, the virtual entirety of our intelligence is based on our ability to process, synthesize and repurpose the stories we hear throughout our lives. At first I thought that was a pretty bold statement, but it becomes more compelling when you read about what he refers to as “index construction and retrieval” for memories. (It’s that idea that inspired the visual above.) Long story short, when we hear new information, we are constantly comparing it to an internal index – something we’ve already filed away in our memories based on our experiences. And generally speaking, if that new information doesn’t map to our own experiences we tend to dismiss it. But the beauty of telling a good story is that there can be enough “indices” contained within that story to trigger a relational experience with people who may believe they have nothing in common. So the moral of this story (for me) is that we can bring commonalities to the surface by sharing our stories. So, while we may not share backgrounds, religions, beliefs or status, we all share something that can be triggered by a story, because the emotions that underly experience are universal. And THAT, my friend, is powerful stuff indeed.