The Power of Narratives in Decision Making
People have been telling stories to one another for thousands, maybe millions of years. They have told stories huddled around the campfire; they have painted them on cave walls; they have written them down on stone tablets, scrolls, and in books for future generations. People have journeyed from small hamlets to large cities to tell stories, fought wars because of them, and taken huge sacrifices for their sake.
Many different terms have been coined to represent the essential nature of humankind: homo faber (philosophical man), homo economicus (rational man), homo politicus (political man), and, of course, homo sapiens (wise man). Walter R. Fisher, an academic, proposed homo narrans (storytelling man) as an important addition to this list in 1985.
Because whatever the shape, form, or time, storytelling seems to play a major role in human interaction. Recent scientific attention has shed light on the power stories hold in determining human behaviour. Even now, we are still being surprised by the true extent to which stories bear influence in our everyday lives. This article attempts to share what we know about stories so far.
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About the Author
Constantin Huet
Constantin Huet is a Staff Writer at The Decision Lab. He recently graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a Master of Science in Behavioural Science, having previously completed an undergraduate degree at the Royal Agricultural University. Constantin is particularly interested in using behavioural science to understand how our species absorbs and processes the constant flux of information in our environments. In particular, he has been active in promoting the use of behavioural insights in the agricultural industry, one of many industries that has yet to fully benefit from the deep value that behavioural science can offer.
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