Neuroscience of Narrative

Brain-Story
Paul J. Zak, Ph.D. pens an article entitled, "Why Inspiring Stories Make Us React: The Neuroscience of Narrative" in the February issue of Cerebrum from the Dana Foundation. Zak is the neuroscientist whose laboratory first identified the prosocial effects of the neurotransmitter oxytocin. In this extended popular review, Zak discusses his work and those of other labs about the ability of stories to elicit responses in the brain involving chemicals such as oxytocin, ACTH, and other.