The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell

An investigation of the emotional power of narrative that illuminates the relationship between the human brain and the stories we tell

As humans, we think in stories--stories that allow us to feel and share emotions. In order for this phenomenon to work, our brains and the ways in which we tell stories must be attuned to each other. But how exactly does this happen?

Tapping into the essence of thinking in stories, Fritz Breithaupt draws on the latest scientific research, including a retelling study (comparable to the telephone game) with more than 12,000 participants, and experiments in which ChatGPT functions as storyteller. This wide-ranging study includes analyses of political history, novels, fairy tales, and everyday office gossip; proposes a new theory of narrative that focuses on emotions and affects; and hypothesizes on the evolution of narratives among our hominid ancestors. Redefining us as beings who anchor ourselves in the world through narratives, Breithaupt introduces a new kind of psychology that cuts to the core of how and why humans feel the need to tell stories.

Fritz Breithaupt is Provost Professor of Cognitive Science and Germanic Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he directs the Experimental Humanities Lab, and a regular guest professor at St. Gallen University in Switzerland. His books include The Dark Sides of Empathy. He lives in Bloomington, IN.