242. Jonathan Gottschall The Story Paradox: How Our Love of Storytelling Builds Societies and Tears Them Down

Published: Jan. 18, 2022, 8 a.m.

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Humans are storytelling animals. Stories are what make our societies possible. Countless books celebrate their virtues. But Jonathan Gottschall, an expert on the science of stories, argues that there is a dark side to storytelling we can no longer ignore. Storytelling, the very tradition that built human civilization, may be the thing that destroys it.

In The Story Paradox, Gottschall explores how a broad consortium of psychologists, communications specialists, neuroscientists, and literary quants are using the scientific method to study how stories affect our brains.

In this conversation based on his new book, Gottschall reveals why our biggest asset has become our greatest threat, and what, if anything, can be done. It is a call to stop asking, \\u201cHow we can change the world through stories?\\u201d and start asking, \\u201cHow can we save the world from stories?\\u201d

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