How Storytelling Is Good for Your Mental Health

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe Link Between Storytelling and Mental HealthMental Health Benefits of StorytellingTransforming Your Story

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

The Link Between Storytelling and Mental Health

Mental Health Benefits of Storytelling

Transforming Your Story

Storytelling is typically described as telling or writing stories. These narratives are often told for entertainment and to engage listeners or readers. Storytelling, however, is also powerful in shaping yourmental health.

We are storytellers when we share with a family member about a negative event that happened at the market. We also are storytellers when we describe the beginning of aromantic relationship.

When we talk about events, characters, actions, themes, feelings, and ideas, we use storytelling techniques daily.

“Here’s the story” is the way we begin some of our conversations. We share stories with others more often than we realize.

This article discusses the value of storytelling and details the mental health benefits of sharing stories.

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Annie Brewster, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and internist at Massachusetts General Hospital is the founder ofHealth Story Collaborative. She started this nonprofit organization to help patients and families make sense of trauma and a range of mental and physical health challenges.

Research from the field of narrative psychology shows a link between narratives and well-being.Exploring personal stories, reflecting on them, changing these narratives, and sharing them might make usvulnerable, but also helps us heal and grow.

Boosts Listening Skills & Fosters Imagination

You become anactive listenerwhen you focus with all of your senses and give complete attention to stories. Becoming a better and active listener is a great social skill to have.

When we watch a scary movie, we are immersed in Hollywood’s version of a story. During those two hours, we are being transported and living in an imagined world. The writer, director, costume designer, production crew and others are creating this story for us.

Increases Empathy & Memory Retention

When we connect with the characters in a story, our brainreleases oxytocin. Oxytocin is associated with empathy, a building block in helping us connect and deepen our relationships.

In addition to increasingempathy, another benefit we derive from storytelling is improvedmemory. Jennifer Aaker, a marketing professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, says that people remember information when it is weaved into narratives “up to 22 times more than facts alone.”

Increases Positive Emotions

According to recent research in positive psychology,how we tell our stories controls our mood and self-image. Stories can uplift us and change our moods. This changed mood and outlook is no small matter.

A reasonable amount of positive emotion andoptimismallows us to cope better with adversity and meet the obstacles we face.

In a studydone with hospitalized children in intensive care, one storytelling session led to an increase in oxytocin, a reduction incortisoland pain, as well as positive emotional shifts in the children.

Storytelling’s power in regulating physiological and psychological functions is not to be dismissed. It’s a simple intervention in alleviating pain and discomfort and changing our emotional landscape.

Helps Those With Dementia

People with dementia have also benefited from participating in community storytelling andreminiscence therapy. Like many arts including music, storytelling has been shown to help senior community members tackle and improve their compromised memory issues.

Helps Us Engage With Others

Not only do speakers employ stories to captivate their audiences. Even scientists seeking to better connect with laypeople and the public at large are embracing storytelling.

A recent article in theJournal of Neurosciencesays while their work may involve neurobiological mechanisms, rather than presenting with scientific-journal type specifics, scientists are having success weaving in more stories.

That change could mean lecturing more about how their scientific work and process developed, conveying the information and details in a more personal way, or discussing research like a story to better engage their listeners.

Helps Us Build From Success and Failure

Changing your personal narrative in response to bothsuccessandfailurecan have positive effects. In research with adolescents regarding persistence and academic achievement, scientists found that new narratives can self-motivate in positive ways.

On the other hand, failure narratives are also powerful. When told in a new way, they can enable people to appreciate their attempts, give themselves credit for getting through their challenges and encourage them to see they’re better prepared to deal with challenges in the future.

How to Deal With the Fear of Failure

Narrative therapyhelps people move past the problematic stories that hold them back in life. By challenging unhealthy beliefs and widening the way they view the stories of their life, they find alternative stories. This leads to new and healthier viewpoints moving forward.

In fact, recent research on narrative identityshows that when it comes to life stories, those who find redemptive meanings in their past challenges and adversity, and who tell their life stories with ideas that include agency, exploration or more open-mindedness enjoy higher levels of mental health, well-being, and maturity.

By choosing a different viewpoint, you can improve your mental health.

Let’s say, for example, your brother was the favorite when you grew up. You could grow up to be angry and bitter at the injustice of that. Or you might forgive your parents. You may rationalize that it was a cultural thing.

The act of telling stories helps us connect to others, make meaning, organize our lives into a coherent narrative and immerse ourselves in others’ tales. While we share stories, we are also improving our mental health and well-being.

How to Be a Better Storyteller When You Are Socially Anxious

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Adler JM, Lodi-Smith J, Philippe FL, Houle I.The Incremental Validity of Narrative Identity in Predicting Well-Being: A Review of the Field and Recommendations for the Future.Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2016;20(2):142-175. doi:10.1177/1088868315585068Stanford University.Harnessing the Power of Stories.Rutledge PB.Everything Is Story: Telling Stories and Positive Psychology. In: Gregory EM, Rutledge PB.Exploring Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Well-Being.ABC-CLIO. 2016.Brockington G, Moreira APG, Buso MS, et al.Storytelling increase oxytocin and positive emotions and decreases cortisol and pain in hospitalized children.PNAS. 2021;118(22).Suzuki W, Feliú-Mójer MI, Hasson U, Yehuda R, Zarate JM.Dialogues: The science and power of storytelling.JNeurosci. 2018;38(44):9468-9470.Jones BK, Destin M, McAdams DP.Telling Better Stories: Competence-building narrative themes increase adolescent persistence and academic achievement.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2018;76:76-80.McAdams DP, McLean KC.Narrative Identity.Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2013;22(3):233-238. doi:10.1177/0963721413475622

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Adler JM, Lodi-Smith J, Philippe FL, Houle I.The Incremental Validity of Narrative Identity in Predicting Well-Being: A Review of the Field and Recommendations for the Future.Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2016;20(2):142-175. doi:10.1177/1088868315585068Stanford University.Harnessing the Power of Stories.Rutledge PB.Everything Is Story: Telling Stories and Positive Psychology. In: Gregory EM, Rutledge PB.Exploring Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Well-Being.ABC-CLIO. 2016.Brockington G, Moreira APG, Buso MS, et al.Storytelling increase oxytocin and positive emotions and decreases cortisol and pain in hospitalized children.PNAS. 2021;118(22).Suzuki W, Feliú-Mójer MI, Hasson U, Yehuda R, Zarate JM.Dialogues: The science and power of storytelling.JNeurosci. 2018;38(44):9468-9470.Jones BK, Destin M, McAdams DP.Telling Better Stories: Competence-building narrative themes increase adolescent persistence and academic achievement.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2018;76:76-80.McAdams DP, McLean KC.Narrative Identity.Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2013;22(3):233-238. doi:10.1177/0963721413475622

Adler JM, Lodi-Smith J, Philippe FL, Houle I.The Incremental Validity of Narrative Identity in Predicting Well-Being: A Review of the Field and Recommendations for the Future.Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2016;20(2):142-175. doi:10.1177/1088868315585068Stanford University.Harnessing the Power of Stories.Rutledge PB.Everything Is Story: Telling Stories and Positive Psychology. In: Gregory EM, Rutledge PB.Exploring Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Well-Being.ABC-CLIO. 2016.Brockington G, Moreira APG, Buso MS, et al.Storytelling increase oxytocin and positive emotions and decreases cortisol and pain in hospitalized children.PNAS. 2021;118(22).Suzuki W, Feliú-Mójer MI, Hasson U, Yehuda R, Zarate JM.Dialogues: The science and power of storytelling.JNeurosci. 2018;38(44):9468-9470.Jones BK, Destin M, McAdams DP.Telling Better Stories: Competence-building narrative themes increase adolescent persistence and academic achievement.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2018;76:76-80.McAdams DP, McLean KC.Narrative Identity.Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2013;22(3):233-238. doi:10.1177/0963721413475622

Stanford University.Harnessing the Power of Stories.

Rutledge PB.Everything Is Story: Telling Stories and Positive Psychology. In: Gregory EM, Rutledge PB.Exploring Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Well-Being.ABC-CLIO. 2016.

Brockington G, Moreira APG, Buso MS, et al.Storytelling increase oxytocin and positive emotions and decreases cortisol and pain in hospitalized children.PNAS. 2021;118(22).

Suzuki W, Feliú-Mójer MI, Hasson U, Yehuda R, Zarate JM.Dialogues: The science and power of storytelling.JNeurosci. 2018;38(44):9468-9470.

Jones BK, Destin M, McAdams DP.Telling Better Stories: Competence-building narrative themes increase adolescent persistence and academic achievement.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2018;76:76-80.

McAdams DP, McLean KC.Narrative Identity.Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2013;22(3):233-238. doi:10.1177/0963721413475622

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Press Play for Advice On Self-Talk#

Boosts Listening Skills & Fosters Imagination#

Increases Empathy & Memory Retention#

Increases Positive Emotions#

Helps Those With Dementia#

Helps Us Engage With Others#

Helps Us Build From Success and Failure#