LPA’s Tips and Tools for Youth Advocates

supporting the next generation of change-makers as you move forward on The Advocate’s Journey.

So how, exactly, can sharing a story with someone encourage them to consider a new idea or to want to take action? Here’s what the science says.

• We humans are wired for story. What makes us human beings? Well, there’s our highly developed brains, our ability to speak, the thumbs that make it possible for us to grasp a monkey bar or write with a pencil. But there’s another important characteristic: we tell stories.

  And we don’t just tell them—we think in stories. This happened, then this happened, then this. I was, I am, I will be. Thinking in terms of stories—with beginnings, middles, ends, plots, characters and actions—is part of our DNA.

  So, when we share our stories with each other, we tap a deep-rooted and familiar kind of human communication. Just how deep-rooted? Read on.

• Stories create physical responses. Obviously, stories create physical responses: they make us laugh, smile, tear up or shudder. But they also create responses that aren’t as obvious, responses deep, deep within our brains.

Ever sit through a really boring class that was packed with dense information and tons of numbers? There’s a reason we call that experience “mind-numbing.” But think about those times a teacher explained something with a story: “Let me give you an example of what I mean. It was really hot this morning, right? Well, on my way to school today, I saw this guy wearing a bright blue parka and earmuffs! . . .” Suddenly, you prick up your ears, perhaps raise an eyebrow.

What just happened?

Well, stories literally activate parts of our brain that help us “experience” what we’re hearing in that teacher’s story, like feeling hot or seeing a guy in a bright blue parka and earmuffs.

Stories also trigger certain chemicals in our brains. Chemicals like dopamine, which is related to feelings of pleasure and oxytocin, the chemical that makes us feel closer to others and understand their emotions (empathy). And studies have shown that when someone experiences empathy for you, they’re more likely to listen to your advocacy message.

• Stories make ideas “stick.” Stories activate another chemical in our brains, cortisol, which helps us form memories. So, when we’re drawn into someone’s story, that often creates a memory that stays with us.

  As the saying goes (attributed to poet Maya Angelou), “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”