This week I have been reading the work of Paul Zak, a professor of neuroeconomics who is looking for biological explanations for empathy. I came across his work as I was continuing my research on storytelling.
Zak did an experiment to show how storytelling increases empathy. He showed participants a video telling the story of a father and his young son, who is dying from cancer. Viewers empathized with the characters in the video and were more likely to make a charitable donation after watching the video. In looking for biological explanations for empathy, Dr. Zak found increased levels of cortisol and oxytocin in the blood of those watching the video. Cortisol correlates with distress and focused the mind's attention. Oxytocin is a chemical associated with care, connection, and empathy. The study also scanned brain activity while watching the video and found that areas of the mind associated with understanding what others are doing were highly active, as were areas rich in oxytocin receptors.
Dr. Zak notes that viewers were asked to watch several videos about the boy and his father. Only those videos with a dramatic story arc produced cortisol and oxytocin in the viewer. Simply watching a video of a boy and his father walk around a zoo, for instance, produced no change in blood chemistry.
In other words, powerful stories with dramatic arcs can create chemical reactions in the reader or viewer that increase their empathy. A strong story can help connect characters to the viewer.
Professor Zak has a TED talks video that further describes his work. I highly recommend it.
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