Human Connection and the Power of Storytelling

How stories satisfy our intrinsic need for connection and why storytellers have a responsibility to their readers.

At the core of humanity is the phenomenon of human connection, the ability to relate to the pain and joys of other people, those whom we know personally, and those that we don’t. Human connection is what informs our ability to empathize, experience freudenfreude, and feel indignance. It is certainly true in both actions and spirit, that “no man is an island, entire of itself.”

Human connection, and the lack of, has been studied in infants for decades. Neglected babies, those who aren’t held and talked to and who left alone devoid of human interaction, experience a number of pathologies later in life including learning and memory impairments, increased risk for depression and anxiety disorders, and lower levels of emotional intelligence. It’s no surprise that modern attachment theory posits that bonding is an intrinsic human need.

As we grow, we expand our connections. Instead of attachin…