Why We Tell Stories: The Science of Narrative
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” says American author Joan Didion. Stories have existed in all forms—parables, poems, tall tales, myths, novels, plays, songs—across almost all cultures and throughout human history. But is storytelling essential to survival? Is it a driver of evolution or a byproduct? What is the primal urge that drove our distant ancestors to crawl into a dark cave and paint portraits on rocky walls? Join a spirited discussion of how science has begun to explain the uniquely human gift of narrative, looking to the brain for insight on how neurons alight when we hear a tale, to developmental psychology for clues about the role of storytelling in learning, and to storytellers themselves for explanations that ultimately inform a greater understanding of who we are as a species.
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Moderator
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Jay Allison
Jay Allison is an independent journalist, documentary maker, and leader in public broadcasting. He is a frequent producer for NPR news programs and This American Life, and a six-time Peabody Award winner. He is well known for his various roles as envisioner, curator, and producer of The Moth Radio Hour, Lost & Found Sound, This I Believe—and he co-edited the bestselling books based on that series. He is also founder of Transom.org, the Public Radio Exchange, and WCAI, the public radio station on Cape Cod where Allison lives with his family. More »
Participants
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Paul Bloom
Psychologist Paul Bloom’s research explores how children and adults understand the physical and social world, with special focus on morality, religion, fiction, and art. More » -
Jeffrey Eugenides
Author Jeffrey Eugenides grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and attended Brown and Stanford Universities. His novel Middlesex was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Ambassador Book Award. More » -
Jonathan Gottschall
Writer Jonathan Gottschall writes books about the intersection of science and art. He is one of the leading figures in a new movement that is trying to bridge the humanities-sciences divide. More » -
Joyce Carol Oates
Author Joyce Carol Oates is a recipient of the National Book Award and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction. She has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time. More » -
Keith Oatley
Psychologist, Novelist Keith Oatley has spent the last twenty years researching the psychology of reading and writing fiction, as both a scientist and the author of three novels. More » -
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Performance Artists The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is dedicated to fostering both an appreciation and education of the arts through affordable and high quality comedic performances and classes. The Upright CItizen's Brigade first brought its award winning sketch comedy show to New York in 1996. The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre opened in 1999 and quickly became the place for great, cutting-edge, comedy. The UCBT offers the best and most innovative improv and sketch comedy in over 25 unique shows a week. It opened a location in Los Angeles in 2005, becoming the only comedy Theatre and Training Center with stages and operations on both coasts. It also expanded online, through UCBcomedy.com, the virtual home of all things comedy from improv, sketch and standup to pranks, jokes, and podcasts. More »
