Humans don't think in facts

We humans don’t think in facts. We feel in stories.

People edit their photographs because the story they tell themselves about their lives matters more than an accurate representation of what happened.

People universally hate movies where “the dog dies” because the feeling spoils the rest of the movie. They can’t get into the movie anymore, therefore it was bad.

People gladly pay $9.99 + free shipping, but almost never pay $5 + $5 shipping.

People can’t remember a series of random numbers they heard ten seconds ago, yet can recite the lyrics to their favorite childhood cartoon theme song that they’ve not heard in thirty years.

Discretionary effort counts double because, while functionally redundant, it makes people feel vastly more cared for.

Stories don’t just pass through the language centers of the brain. They activate emotional and sensory regions too. The brain treats stories more like lived experiences than abstract information.

We don’t feel facts.

We feel stories.

Perhaps part of our continued education should focus less on gathering more facts… and a little more on feeling stories.