Once upon a time, people told stories around a campfire. Ug told stories about how he slew the mighty mammoth and came back to tell the tale. Ugemme told stories about how she gave birth and survived. Urg and Gur told stories about how they were unique and why. The Shaman, Great Ug told stories about how the world was made and how to live in it successfully.
And the others listened raptly. Why? Because humans are hardwired to need stories. Our magnificent brains are constantly seeking a way to make sense of all the input thrown at them.
According to Lisa Crohn in her (fabulous, I kid you not, you won't be sorry if you read it) book Wired For Story, neuroscientists believe that not only is story the brain's way of ensuring our survival by vicariously living through other people's experiences, but that we actually crave stories because when we reach the end of a story and make sense of it, we get a hit of dopamine - and that feels good!
Curiosity, meaning, experience. "How did he/she/they do that? Why? Did they they live? Did they die? Did they find true love/make a million bucks/live happily ever after?"
I won't lie. I'm a story addict. I've been known to stop in my tracks, eyes glazed over and mouth hanging open if there's a good story going on somewhere in my vicinity. I see stories everywhere, in everything. So this new research makes me feel validated in my obsession- Hey- it's a brain thing! I'm not responsible, right?
And in the end, I'm not apologising. I collect stories, I write them, read them, grow them, eat them, and on good days, I help other people tell their stories, in many different ways. Sometimes theses stories even change lives, mine and others'.
The world is a crazy place, especially right now. I don't know the answers ... but I can tell you a story. And maybe, just maybe, it'll be the one you need.
Talk to you soon
_edited.jpg)