The magical science of storytelling | David JP Phillips | TEDxStockholm

TEDx Talks
16 Mar 201716:45
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this insightful talk, the speaker explores the power of storytelling as a tool for emotional investment and influence. By recounting personal experiences and citing studies, the speaker demonstrates how stories can trigger the release of hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins, which enhance focus, trust, and creativity. The speaker advocates for the strategic use of 'functional storytelling' to elicit desired emotional responses and improve communication in various settings.

Takeaways
  • 📈 The power of storytelling was tested by Rob Walker, who bought 200 objects on eBay and had authors write stories for them, resulting in a significant increase in their value.
  • 🎭 The addition of storytelling to objects increased their perceived value, as seen with the horse's head that sold for a 6395% higher price after a story was attached.
  • 💡 Storytelling is a powerful tool that can change perceptions and values, as demonstrated by the 'significant object study'.
  • 🎬 The success of movies and unrealistic portrayals, like James Bond, show that people are emotionally invested in stories and characters.
  • 💖 Emotional investment through storytelling can lead to significant changes in behavior and decision-making.
  • 🧠 Neurotransmitters and hormones play a crucial role in how storytelling affects our emotions and decision-making processes.
  • 📊 Product placement revenue of $10.5 billion annually indicates the effectiveness of stories in advertising and consumer influence.
  • 🌟 The 'angels' cocktail' of hormones (dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins) can be induced through storytelling to create positive effects on the audience.
  • 🚀 Building suspense and using cliffhangers can increase dopamine levels, leading to greater focus, motivation, and memory retention.
  • 💞 Creating empathy in storytelling boosts oxytocin levels, fostering trust and bonding between the storyteller and the audience.
  • 🎭 Making the audience laugh can trigger endorphins, enhancing creativity, relaxation, and focus.
Q & A

  • What was Rob Walker's experiment to test the power of storytelling?

    -Rob Walker's experiment involved buying 200 objects from eBay at an average price of one dollar, asking 200 authors to write a story for each object, and then reselling the objects with the stories to see if the added narrative would affect their value.

  • What was the percentage increase in value for the beautiful horse's head after a story was added to it?

    -The beautiful horse's head, initially bought for 99¢, was sold for $62.95 after a story was added, resulting in a 6395% increase in value.

  • What was the total cost and sale revenue for the 200 objects in Rob Walker's experiment?

    -Rob Walker spent a total of $129 to purchase the 200 objects and sold them for $8000 after attaching stories to them.

  • How does product placement in movies affect consumer behavior according to the speaker?

    -The speaker suggests that product placement in movies can emotionally invest viewers in the products, leading them to spend money on items they see in films, even if those items are unrealistic or don't align with their usual preferences.

  • What is the 'angels' cocktail' referred to in the talk and what hormones does it consist of?

    -The 'angels' cocktail' is a term used by the speaker to describe the combination of hormones induced by effective storytelling, which includes dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins.

  • How does storytelling increase dopamine levels in the listener or reader?

    -Storytelling increases dopamine levels by creating suspense and cliffhangers, which leads to increased focus, motivation, and better memory retention in the listener or reader.

  • What are the effects of oxytocin induction according to the script?

    -Induction of oxytocin leads to increased generosity, trust, and bonding between the storyteller and the listener.

  • How can storytelling be used to create endorphins?

    -Storytelling can create endorphins by incorporating humor into the narrative, which can make the audience laugh and thereby induce relaxation and creativity.

  • What is the opposite of the 'angels' cocktail' and what are its effects?

    -The opposite of the 'angels' cocktail' is the 'devil's cocktail', which consists of high levels of cortisol and adrenaline. This can lead to intolerance, irritability, uncreativity, criticalness, memory impairment, and bad decision-making.

  • What is 'functional storytelling' as described in the script?

    -Functional storytelling is the strategic use of storytelling to elicit specific emotional responses and hormones in the audience. It involves understanding one's natural storytelling abilities, writing down personal stories, and indexing them based on the emotional response they can generate.

  • How does the speaker suggest we have evolved our methods of knowledge transfer over time?

    -The speaker suggests that we started with oral storytelling 100,000 years ago, moved to cave paintings 27,000 years ago, then to text 3,500 years ago, and finally, with the birth of PowerPoint 28 years ago, we have adapted our knowledge transfer methods to suit different eras and technologies.

  • What point does the speaker make about the human brain's adaptation to different storytelling formats?

    -The speaker implies that despite the evolution of storytelling formats from oral tradition to text to PowerPoint, the human brain is most adapted to and responsive to the format of oral storytelling due to its historical roots and evolution.

Outlines
00:00
📚 The Power of Storytelling

This paragraph introduces the concept of storytelling as a powerful tool, illustrated by Rob Walker's 'significant object study'. Walker bought 200 objects from eBay and had authors write stories for each, which significantly increased their value when resold. The story of a horse's head, which saw a 6395% value increase after a story was added, exemplifies this power. The paragraph also explores the emotional investment in stories and how it can influence perceptions and actions, such as product placement in movies and the desire to emulate fictional characters like James Bond.

05:02
🧪 Hormonal Effects of Storytelling

This paragraph delves into the neurological impact of storytelling, explaining how it can trigger the release of hormones like vasopressin, oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. The speaker aims to induce three specific hormones in the audience's brain during the talk: dopamine for focus and motivation, oxytocin for trust and bonding, and endorphins for creativity and relaxation. The paragraph uses personal anecdotes and hypothetical scenarios to illustrate the effects of these hormones and the role of storytelling in enhancing them.

10:04
🎭 Functional Storytelling Techniques

The speaker discusses the practical application of storytelling, or 'functional storytelling', as a means to evoke specific emotional responses and hormonal changes in an audience. The paragraph outlines three steps to effective storytelling: understanding one's natural storytelling abilities, writing down personal stories, and indexing those stories based on the emotions and hormones they aim to trigger. The speaker emphasizes the importance of selecting the right story for the desired outcome in various communication scenarios.

15:05
🌌 Evolution of Knowledge Transfer

In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the historical progression of knowledge transfer from oral storytelling and cave paintings to written text and modern presentation tools like PowerPoint. The paragraph highlights the innate human ability to communicate through stories and suggests that our brains are most adapted to this ancient form of information sharing. The speaker advocates for the use of storytelling in presentations to engage audiences more effectively than traditional methods like PowerPoint.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Storytelling
Storytelling is the art of using words, images, and other forms of expression to tell a story that engages and informs an audience. In the context of the video, it is presented as a powerful tool that can influence emotions and behaviors. The main theme revolves around how storytelling can be used to evoke specific emotional responses and hormones, such as dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins, leading to increased focus, motivation, empathy, and relaxation.
💡Emotional Investment
Emotional investment refers to the degree to which a person becomes emotionally involved or attached to something, such as an object, idea, or another person. In the video, it is explained that the more emotionally invested one is, the less objective and critical they become. This concept is central to understanding how storytelling can change perceptions and behaviors.
💡Dopamine
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays several important roles in the brain, including influencing motivation, reward, and focus. In the video, the speaker aims to increase dopamine levels in the audience through suspense and storytelling, which results in increased focus and motivation.
💡Oxytocin
Oxytocin, often referred to as the 'love hormone' or 'cuddle hormone', is a hormone and neurotransmitter that is known to promote feelings of bonding, trust, and empathy. In the video, the speaker explains how storytelling can induce oxytocin, thereby fostering a sense of connection and understanding between the storyteller and the audience.
💡Endorphins
Endorphins are chemicals produced in the brain that act as natural painkillers and mood elevators, often associated with feelings of pleasure and well-being. The video discusses how humor and laughter can trigger the release of endorphins, leading to increased creativity and relaxation.
💡Product Placement
Product placement is a marketing strategy where products or brands are incorporated into the content of movies, television shows, or other media. The video highlights the significant revenue generated from product placement, emphasizing the influence of storytelling in advertising and its impact on consumer behavior.
💡Functional Storytelling
Functional storytelling is the strategic use of stories to achieve specific communication goals, such as influencing emotions, behaviors, or perceptions. In the video, the speaker advocates for the use of functional storytelling in professional settings to elicit desired emotional responses and improve communication outcomes.
💡Cortisol
Cortisol is a hormone associated with the body's stress response. High levels of cortisol can lead to negative effects such as irritability, impaired memory, and poor decision-making. In the video, the speaker contrasts cortisol with the 'angels' cocktail' hormones, highlighting the adverse effects of stress on communication and interaction.
💡Adrenaline
Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone that prepares the body for a 'fight or flight' response during stressful situations. It increases heart rate, blood pressure, and alertness but can also lead to anxiety and reduced creativity when present in high concentrations. In the video, adrenaline is part of the 'devil's cocktail' that the speaker aims to avoid in storytelling and communication.
💡Hormonal Induction
Hormonal induction refers to the process of stimulating the production or release of hormones in the body. The video discusses how storytelling can induce the release of specific hormones, such as dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins, which can positively influence the audience's emotional state and receptiveness.
💡Communication
Communication is the process of exchanging messages to create understanding between individuals. The video emphasizes the importance of storytelling in communication, as it can influence the emotional state of the audience and make the message more effective.
Highlights

Storytelling is considered the most powerful tool, as explored by journalist Rob Walker.

Walker's 'Significant Object Study' involved buying 200 objects on eBay and having authors write stories for them.

The average price of the objects was one dollar, and the addition of stories led to a significant increase in their value.

A horse's head sculpture exemplified this, with its price increasing by 6395% after a story was added.

The total cost for the 200 objects was $129, which was sold for $8000 after the storytelling, showing a considerable profit.

The emotional investment in stories can make people less critical and more susceptible to influence.

Product placement revenue indicates the power of stories in advertising, with $10.5 billion generated annually.

Falling in love is compared to a good story, where emotional investment clouds objective judgment.

Stories can release hormones like vasopressin, oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.

The speaker aims to induce three hormones during the talk: dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins, referred to as 'the angels' cocktail'.

Dopamine increases focus, motivation, and memory retention, and can be created through suspense and storytelling.

Oxytocin, the 'bonding hormone', makes people more generous, trusting, and helps them connect emotionally.

Endorphins, associated with laughter, can make people more creative, relaxed, and focused.

The 'devil's cocktail' consists of high levels of cortisol and adrenaline, leading to negative effects like intolerance and bad decisions.

Functional storytelling involves understanding one's natural storytelling abilities, writing down stories, and indexing them for desired emotional responses.

Storytelling has been used for transferring knowledge for over 100,000 years, from oral traditions to modern presentations.

The brain is most adapted to storytelling, as opposed to the more recent PowerPoint presentations.

Transcripts

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Related Tags
StorytellingEmotional InvestmentMemorySignificant Object StudyRob WalkereBayAuthorsHormonal ResponseDopamineOxytocinEndorphins