The Power of Storytelling
For thousands of years, humans have shared stories, passing them down from generation to generation and creating tradition and culture. Humans have always connected with each other through storytelling, and have been able to use it as an opportunity to learn from other people’s experiences. When someone tells us their personal story, we can start to see a different perspective, noticing how other people might view the world in a way that is completely different than the way we view the world because of their different experiences. You can use the power of storytelling to transform your life. Here’s why:
Storytelling creates connection between people
This is because stories build familiarity and trust. When you are listening to a story, you’re brain waves actually start to sync up with the storytellers. Even when you’re just reading their story rather than listening, you start to imagine what sort of person they are outside of the context of the story, imagining what their motivations are and how the world looks through their own, personal filter. Additionally, storytelling connects us because we are naturally able to find parts of ourselves in others’ stories, encouraging us to relate to other people and find common humanity.
It gives us an opportunity to learn from others
Stories have the potential to influence people easier than other tools we use to learn. For example, storytelling can help us learn from the past and avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. Stories also add emotion to information, making it easier for people to process because of the depth that it brings. Stories attach meaning through emotion, and people naturally start to connect and care more about the story.
Storytelling heals us
When you share your stories, you give yourself and others the opportunity to heal. Storytelling gives people the chance to reflect on the past, learn from it, and grow. When we share these stories with other people, and they find some sort of connection to that story and are able to identify pieces of themselves that relate to your experiences, they can heal, too. This is because stories help us understand ourselves and others. Through this awareness and understanding, we are able to become more authentically ourselves.
This month, we are launching our newest outreach project, “Story is Power”. We want the public to engage in storytelling so that they can connect, learn, and heal with the community. We believe stories are powerful acts that shape our lives. The past year has made clear to us just how important stories and the connections they forge really are. Story is Power is a collaborative experiment in sharing and receiving our collective stories. We'll keep a library of all the stories here, so you can take in a story as you leave your own. The goal is to inspire, and to help each of us feel re-connected.
There is power in the personal. We're looking forward to hearing your story.