The power of story is getting unlikely attention. In a fascinating collaboration, literary scholars and neuroscientists have teamed up to explore the impact that stories have on the human brain.
A Wall Street Journal article by Allison Gopnik entitled "Want a Mind Meld? Tell a Compelling Story," described a variety of brain scan studies that show that stories not only shape one's thoughts, but also foster a connection between a storyteller and listener. The closer the connection, the greater the understanding of the story. Gopnik concluded that "results suggest that we lowly humans are actually as good at mind-melding as [Star Trek's] Vulcans or the Borg. We just do it with stories." Other experiments have looked at how stories help develop neural pathways, and affect our relationships by altering how we order and understand information.
Possible Preaching Angles: The best story of all, the story that we need to hear above any other story, is the good news about Jesus Christ.
