The 10 Things Science Proves About Storytelling

(Or, what I would’ve told the guy in 5A if I thought he’d actually listen.)

The 10 Things Science Proves About Storytelling

Earlier this week, I was on a flight to Pittsburgh to lead one of my storytelling workshops for a Vistage group there.

As sometimes happens, the guy next to me decided to be chatty.

He was about my age, clearly a professional—and the kind of guy you can tell instantly has strong opinions and is going to share them as facts. He was an interrupter. A bro’s bro.

Within five minutes, he’d managed to complain about how America is in decline and how it’s “basically illegal to be a straight white man now.”

I was suddenly grateful the flight was only an hour long.

He asked what I was doing in Pittsburgh.

“I teach storytelling workshops to CEOs,” I said.

He laughed.

“Amazing the shit people get paid for these days. Good for you, man.”

I think he meant it as a compliment.

So I did what any trained storytelling expert would do in that situation:
I put my earbuds in and took a nap.

But if I’d thought for a second he was actually open to learning something, I might’ve told him the ten things we now know from science about the power of story.

I saved them for you instead.

So here’s why storytelling matters—and why, if you’re curious, it’s worth way more than my day rate to fly me in and help your leaders become better storytellers:

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1. Emotion Drives Every Decision
You don’t think your way into a decision. You feel your way there.
Story is how emotion travels. That’s why it works.

2. Your Brain is a Story Machine
We invent narratives all day long to make sense of what we see.
Even when facts are missing, we fill in the gaps—usually with the worst-case scenario.

3. Stories Sync Our Brains
When I tell a story, and you’re pulled in, our brains begin to mirror each other.
It’s called neural coupling. It’s real. And it’s how trust begins.

4. Stories Trigger Chemistry
Great stories spark powerful brain chemicals:

• Cortisol for focus

• Dopamine for curiosity

• Oxytocin for trust and connection
  It’s neuroscience, not sorcery.

5. Stories Activate the Brain’s GPS
Our brains are wired for structure: Conflict → Struggle → Resolution.
A story arc lights up more regions of the brain than a list of facts ever could.

6. Data Without Story Dies
People don’t remember numbers—they remember what those numbers mean.
If you want your data to matter, give it a narrative.

7. Personal Stories Build Trust
When you share a well-crafted personal story, people don’t just like you.
They believe you. It’s called narrative transportation.

8. Stories Make Ideas Stick
A good story is up to 22x more memorable than a standalone fact.
That’s not an estimate. That’s actual research.

9. Stories Bypass Resistance
Argue with someone, and they brace for impact.
Tell them a story, and they lower their guard. Story is the backdoor to belief.

10. Great Stories Change Behavior
Not just minds. Behavior.
The right story at the right time can change what someone does next. That’s power.

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And that’s why every few weeks I fly to places like Pittsburgh to help leaders be better storytellers.

Because once your leaders learn how to communicate with emotion, structure, and meaning—they don’t just get better at talking.

They get better at leading.

And listening.

Unlike the guy next to me on Delta flight 5790.