Point of view: Telling stories

This article discusses the development of storytelling over time, arguing that stories are important to the way people make sense of the world.

Point of view: Telling stories

Tham Khai MengOgilvy & Mather

Along with sex, shopping and watching sport, storytelling is one of the world's most popular recreational activities. Man has been hard at it for 10,000 years or so, without much sign of letting up. All over the world, everyone loves stories, especially advertising folks. Since telling stories is the heart of what we do, shouldn't we understand what they are? And why are they so popular?

The latest neurological research shows that man is essentially the Storytelling Ape. Evolution has hard wired us to tell stories, and we use...

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