“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 a coherent, emotionally satisfying version of reality. Conspiracy theories exert a powerful hold on the human… — Jonathan Gottschall Copy Share Image
“Fiction is usually seen as escapist entertainment...But it's hard to reconcile the escapist theory of fiction with the deep patterns we find in the art of storytelling... Our various fictional worlds are-- on the whole-- horrorscapes. Fiction may temporarily free… — 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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
“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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
Story is where people go to practice the key skills of human social life. — 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
