Narratives and human development

In the past several years, researchers have made striking advances in isolating the causal effects of entertaining narratives on attitudes and behavior. At the same time, although these studies have shown that stories shape attitudes and behavior, we typically do not understand what exactly makes a given narrative compelling. Narratives do more than simply convey information. Characters and events provide a simulation of cause and effect in a relevant setting. Narratives provide role models, facilitate counterfactual thinking, and encourage empathy and perspective taking by leading a person to identify with a character she would not normally identify with. The question is, what mix of hypothesized mechanisms is causing a narrative to change attitudes and behavior? We currently run studies examining if and how narrative communications can improve human well-being in Malawi and South Africa. Experimental studies of narratives have also been an important part of our research in Sudan on child well-being.