If you want to burrow a message into a human mind. Work it into a story — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
Story is where people go to practice the key skills of human social life. — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
The brain stays up all night telling stories while we sleep. We just call them dreams. — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard. — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
We are creatures of story, and the process of changing one mind or the whole world must begin with 'Once upon a… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
Don't despair for story's future or turn curmudgeonly over the rise of video games or reality TV. The way we experience story… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
“Commentators frequently blame MMORPGs for an increasing sense of isolation in modern life. But virtual worlds are less a cause of that… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
The storytelling mind is allergic to uncertainty, randomness, and coincidence. It is addicted to meaning. If the storytelling mind cannot find meaningful… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
Fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
Until recently we’ve only been able to speculate about story's persuasive effects. But over the last several decades psychology has begun a… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
If someone breaks into your home when you're there - that is, they don't wait to be sure that the house is empty -… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
Part of why I was attracted to the idea of owning a gun was self-defense, and part of it was that I've been fascinated… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in our heels,… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
“As the video game designer and writer James Wallis puts it, “Human beings like stories. Our brains have a natural affinity not only for… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
In an effort to civilize combat sports, authorities mandated padded gloves and instantly made the sports far more savage. Granted, putting gloves on the… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
People like head trauma. They love knockouts. The crowd is silent, silent, silent... and then a knockout happens, and everyone goes native. There would… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
Fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories. — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
Getting punched in the face with a padded glove doesn't really hurt your face. It doesn't hurt your skull. The only thing it hurts… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
Story is where people go to practice the key skills of human social life. — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
The brain stays up all night telling stories while we sleep. We just call them dreams. — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
“Commentators frequently blame MMORPGs for an increasing sense of isolation in modern life. But virtual worlds are less a cause of that isolation than… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
“Conspiracy theories—feverishly creative, lovingly plotted—are in fact fictional stories that some people believe. Conspiracy theorists connect real data points and imagined data points into… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
I watch fights and I often feel morally compromised by it. I feel like I'm morally culpable for what's occurring because I'm the spectator… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share
