Stories have always been a time-honored means to teach, inspire and entertain others. More recently, neuroscientists are studying the effects of storytelling on the brain. In this case, personal stories are read to students while their brain is being scanned. These functional MRI studies give us a glimpse into what parts of the brain are firing when we are listening and processing personal stories.
Dr. Immordino-Yang’s presented a talk entitled “We feel, therefore we learn” at the 2011 Mind and Its Potential Conference. Her conclusion is that our biological bodies and social minds are completely integrated. Today neuroscientists are helping us understand what is happening in our brains when we hear stories of struggle and resilience of real people.
The work of Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang of the University of Southern California showed the results of fMRI scans of people who had heard these types of stories and what part of the brain had increased blood flow. The results showed that the very systems that keep us alive like the medulla, the insula, and the mid-brain were activated. When people say they felt something in their gut when they heard a compelling story, they were telling the truth.
Her work has also demonstrated that when teenagers hear stories about the resilience of others they report being inspired, even hopeful about their own future. She stated in a webinar for The Center for Scholars and Storytellers in 2019 that “. . . Hope is an interpretation that you construct. Hope itself is a story you tell yourself about the possible spaces in the future. . .” Her lab is continuing to study the individual differences in how people create hope for their own future after listening to inspiring stories of others. Meanwhile, we storytellers will keep on crafting inspiring stories for all ages.
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