The magical science of storytelling | David JP Phillips | TEDxStockholm

Summary

In this engaging talk, the speaker explores the power of storytelling as a tool for emotional investment and influence. The presentation begins with Rob Walker's 'significant object study', where objects' value increased dramatically with the addition of stories. The speaker then delves into how stories, like the unrealistic portrayals in James Bond films, can shape our desires and behaviors, even leading to significant financial decisions. The talk highlights the role of hormones in storytelling, aiming to induce 'the angels' cocktail' of vasopressin, oxytocin, and endorphins in the audience, which fosters focus, motivation, empathy, and laughter. The speaker concludes by advocating for 'functional storytelling' in communication to elicit desired emotional responses and improve interactions.

Takeaways

• 📚 Storytelling is a powerful tool: The script begins with an experiment by Rob Walker, which demonstrates the impact of storytelling on the value of objects.
• 🛍️ Emotional investment increases value: By attaching stories to objects, Walker was able to significantly increase their selling price on eBay.
• 🎬 The influence of unrealistic stories: People are willing to pay to watch and emulate characters from unrealistic movies like James Bond.
• 💰 The power of product placement: Companies generate billions of dollars annually through product placement in movies and stories.
• ❤️ Emotional investment and love: Falling in love is compared to storytelling, as both can cause a flood of hormones and neurotransmitters.
• 🧠 Hormones and storytelling: Certain hormones like vasopressin, oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins are released during storytelling, affecting the audience's emotions and perception.
• 🚀 Dopamine and focus: The speaker aims to increase dopamine levels in the audience to enhance focus, motivation, and memory retention.
• 🤝 Oxytocin and bonding: Storytelling can induce oxytocin, making people more generous, trusting, and creating a bond between the storyteller and the audience.
• 😂 Endorphins and laughter: Humor in storytelling can release endorphins, leading to increased creativity, relaxation, and focus.
• 📈 Functional storytelling: The speaker introduces the concept of 'functional storytelling' as a method to intentionally induce specific emotions and responses in an audience.

Q & A

What was Rob Walker's experiment involving eBay and storytelling?

Rob Walker's experiment, known as the 'significant object study', involved purchasing 200 objects from eBay for an average price of one dollar each, then asking 200 authors to write a story for each object. He then sold these objects again on eBay to see if the added storytelling would affect their value.

What was the percentage increase in value for the horse's head object after a story was added?

The horse's head object saw an increase of 6395% in value after a story was added, selling for $62.95 compared to its original purchase price of 99¢.

How much money did Rob Walker make from selling the 200 objects after adding stories to them?

Rob Walker made $8000 from selling the 200 objects after adding stories to them, which was a significant increase from the initial investment of $129.

What is the connection between storytelling and product placement in movies?

Storytelling in movies, such as in James Bond films, can create emotional investment in the characters and their possessions, leading to product placement becoming a powerful marketing tool. This can influence viewers to purchase items associated with the characters, contributing to the $10.5 billion in product placement revenue annually.

Why do people pay to watch unrealistic movies like James Bond and feel inspired by the character?

People pay to watch unrealistic movies because storytelling can create emotional investment, leading to viewers identifying with the characters and their lifestyles. This can inspire them to emulate aspects of the character, such as purchasing items like the Omega watch seen in the movie.

What is the average duration of the biochemical phase of falling in love according to the script?

The average duration of the biochemical phase of falling in love, during which critical thinking may be impaired, is about 13 months according to the script.

How do hormones and neurotransmitters play a role in storytelling and its impact on the audience?

Hormones and neurotransmitters like vasopressin, oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins can be released in the audience's brain during storytelling, creating emotional responses that can affect their perception and memory of the story.

What is 'the angels' cocktail' and how does it relate to storytelling?

The 'angels' cocktail' refers to the combination of hormones—dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins—that can be induced in the audience's brain through storytelling. These hormones can lead to increased focus, motivation, empathy, bonding, creativity, relaxation, and focus.

What are the effects of high dopamine levels on a person's cognitive functions?

High dopamine levels can lead to increased focus, motivation, and enhanced memory, making it easier for individuals to remember and engage with the stories they are told.

How can storytelling create empathy and trust among the audience, and what hormone is associated with these feelings?

Storytelling can create empathy and trust by building emotional connections with characters and situations. The hormone associated with these feelings is oxytocin, which can be released when the audience bonds with the storyteller or the story's characters.

What is the 'devil's cocktail' and how does it contrast with 'the angels' cocktail'?

The 'devil's cocktail' refers to high levels of cortisol and adrenaline, which can lead to negative effects such as intolerance, irritability, uncreativity, criticism, memory impairment, and bad decision-making. This contrasts with 'the angels' cocktail', which induces positive hormones that enhance storytelling and audience engagement.

What is the concept of 'functional storytelling' as mentioned in the script?

Functional storytelling is the practice of using storytelling techniques to achieve specific communication goals. It involves understanding one's natural storytelling abilities, writing down personal stories, and indexing them based on the emotions or hormones they elicit, such as laughter (endorphins), empathy (oxytocin), or focus and motivation (dopamine).

Why is PowerPoint referred to as 'Death by PowerPoint' in the context of the script?

PowerPoint is referred to as 'Death by PowerPoint' because it is often seen as an ineffective method for transferring knowledge and engaging an audience compared to the more emotionally engaging and ancient practice of storytelling.