Why We Love Stories

Have you ever considered how much, as humans, we are connected to stories? We read stories to children to help them sleep and to ourselves to escape reality. As scientists, we share our research by telling stories that aim to explain what our findings mean and how they apply to life. 
Our identities are stories, formed by memories that frequently replay and come to describe a sense of ‘me’ – the kindness we've received, the challenges we've faced, the people we love, and the choices we've made. Many of our ideas about love and romance come from stories that are told on the big screen and through social media. And love itself is intertwined with stories: When people enter a romantic relationship, their stories of ‘me’ become stories of ‘us’, based on shared experiences meshed together with another person (Dunlop, 2019). As Toni Morrison (1993) once said, “Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created.” Stories create us and our world. 
Storytelling is also a universal human trait. Evolutionary theorists believe it developed as a way to share information and foster cooperation among early humans, and in turn, promoting group survival (Smith et al. 2017). After all, human history is full of stories, from ancient myths to modern schools of thought. 
Storytelling is also important in Indigenous cultures. Bessarab and Ng’andu (2010) describe yarning as an Indigenous way of conversing and storytelling, which relies on existing relationships. Yarns are meaningful because they help to create, and are part of, a common social identity: The idea that who we are is based on a sense of us. Because storytelling plays a unique role for Indigenous peoples, it's important to respect cultural differences and not impose a Western story when conducting research in these contexts (Caxaj 2015).
This story-based approach is also used in medicine to understand patients' experiences and help them process their health issues – tales of what happened, why, and how can I get better (Fioretti et al. 2016). 
We can see that stories are everywhere, in our own lives and in the media all around us, from uplifting tales to ones full of conflict. 
So, why are stories so important to us? 
Bühler and Dunlop (2019) suggest that stories help us make sense of the world, by providing logic and meaning by combining our past, present, and future. The tales we know help us navigate our own tales of woe. This helps us adapt and change over time. As we’ve seen, stories also shape our identity and group memberships, helping us feel unique and connected. It’s always a special moment when we share a story with the people we care about. 
If asked, "Who are you?" you might describe your roles and social groups, like family, friends, and work. Being a part of a group has always made us feel as though we are more – a part of something bigger than just a simple, lonely ‘me’. Ultimately, stories help us learn, teach, organise our lives, understand events, and define who we are. They are embedded in every aspect of the human experience: history, culture, language, and identity. We are truly enamoured of stories.

By Joel Whalan

Further Reading: 
Bessarab, D., & Ng'andu, B. (2010). Yarning about yarning as a legitimate method in Indigenous research. International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies, 3(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcis.v3i1.57
Bühler, J. L., & Dunlop, W. L. (2019). The narrative identity approach and romantic relationships. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13(4), n/a–n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12447
Caxaj, C. S. (2015). Indigenous Storytelling and Participatory Action Research: Allies Toward Decolonization? Reflections From the Peoples’ International Health Tribunal. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 2, 2333393615580764–2333393615580764. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333393615580764
Dunlop, W. L. (2019). Love as story, love as storytelling. Personal Relationships, 26(1), 114–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12271
Fioretti, C., Mazzocco, K., Riva, S., Oliveri, S., Masiero, M., & Pravettoni, G. (2016). Research studies on patients' illness experience using the Narrative Medicine approach: a systematic review. BMJ Open, 6(7), e011220–e011220. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011220
Morrison, T. (1993). Nobel Lecture. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Accessed Tue. 9 Jul 2024. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1993/morrison/lecture/
Smith, D., Schlaepfer, P., Major, K., Dyble, M., Page, A. E., Thompson, J., Chaudhary, N., Salali, G. D., Mace, R., Astete, L., Ngales, M., Vinicius, L., & Migliano, A. B. (2017). Cooperation and the evolution of hunter-gatherer storytelling. Nature Communications, 8(1), 1853–1859. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02036-8