STORY: The Science Behind Humanity’s Superpower (Part 1)

The Next Big Idea

Next Big Idea Club

Self-improvement, Arts, Books, Society & Culture, Education

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, we’re sitting down with Will Storr, author of the dazzling new book A Story Is a Deal, to talk about humanity’s greatest invention: story. More than just entertainment, Will argues, story is what we do and who we are. It’s how we make sense of the world, captivate, and persuade. And yet for all its power, storytelling isn’t some elusive magic trick — it’s a skill. One you can learn. Will’s here to show you how. 🎧 Listen to Will’s previous appearance on the podcast here 📩 Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter, and you’ll get daily, bite‑sized insights from the best new nonfiction books — in audio or text — straight from the authors. Sign up today!

Transcript

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0:00.0	LinkedIn Presents.
0:05.8	I'm Rufus Griscombe, and I'm Caleb Bissinger, and this is the next big idea.
0:11.7	Today, everything you'll ever need to know about the art and science of storytelling.
0:23.6	Story is what we do. Story is what we do.
0:39.2	Story is who we are.
0:41.1	Story is human life itself.
0:43.7	This is no exaggeration.
0:46.5	That's a line from a new book, a fantastic new book, by Will Stor.
0:51.5	We just love Will Stor here, the next big idea.
0:55.0	We had him on the show a few years ago to discuss his last book, The Status Game.
1:00.2	It was a conversation that I keep coming back to that fundamentally shifted how I think about humans, about what makes us tick.
1:08.4	Yes, totally resonated for me as well.
1:10.5	And this new book expands on a couple of those themes. about what makes us tick. Yes, totally resonated for me as well.
1:14.4	And this new book expands on a couple of those themes.
1:16.6	It's called A Story is a Deal.
1:18.2	It comes out today.
1:21.0	It helped me both more deeply understand human behavior and get better at one of life's most important skills
1:24.8	learning how to tell a great story.
1:27.9	And unlike traditional storytelling guides that just obsess over mechanics, you know,
1:32.6	rising action, falling action, save the cat, return with the elixir,
1:38.0	Will drills down to something more fundamental.
1:41.8	He exposes the science behind why stories are so effective, what they do to our
	...

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