Will Storr

'If you want to write a novel or a script, read this book' Sunday Times'The best book on the craft of storytelling I've ever read' Matt Haig'Rarely has a book engrossed me more, and forced me to question everything I've ever read, seen or written. A masterpiece' Adam Rutherford Who would we be without stories? Stories mould who we are, from our character to our cultural identity. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions, and shape our politics and beliefs. We use them to construct our relationships, to keep order in our law courts, to interpret events in our newspapers and social media. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story - from Joseph Campbell's well-worn theories about myth and archetype to recent attempts to crack the 'Bestseller Code'. But few have used a scientific approach. This is curious, for if we are to truly understand storytelling in its grandest sense, we must first come to understand the ultimate storyteller - the human brain. In this scalpel-sharp, thought-provoking book, Will Storr demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us, leading us on a journey from the Hebrew scriptures to Mr Men, from Booker Prize-winning literature to box set TV. Applying dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to the foundations of our myths and archetypes, he shows how we can use these tools to tell better stories - and make sense of our chaotic modern world.

The Science of Storytelling

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Science of Storytelling, a bold and ambitious investigation of the hidden structure behind human behaviour: status

The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It

‘Fascinating’ Guardian ‘Brilliant’ Evening Standard ‘Electrifying’ Financial Times ‘So interesting I literally couldn’t put it down’ Sunday Times We are living in an age of heightened individualism. Success is a personal responsibility. Our culture tells us that to succeed is to be slim, rich, happy, extroverted, popular – flawless. The pressure to conform to this ideal has changed who we are. We have become self-obsessed. And our expectation of perfection comes at a cost. Millions are suffering under the torture of this impossible fantasy. It was not always like this. To explain how we got here, Will Storr takes us on a journey across continents and centuries. Full of thrilling and unexpected connections between history, psychology, economics, neuroscience and more, Selfie is an unforgettable book that makes sense of who we have become. As featured on Russell Brand’s Under The Skin podcast.

How the West Became Self-Obsessed

Selfie

Interweaves personal memoir and investigative journalism with the latest neuroscience and experimental psychology research to reveal how the stories individuals tell themselves about the world shape their beliefs, leading to self-deception, toxic partisanship, and science denial.

Adventures with the Enemies of Science

The Unpersuadables

On Social Position and How We Use It

The Status Game

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'If you want to write a novel or a script, read this book' Sunday Times 'The best book on the craft of storytelling I've ever read' Matt Haig 'Rarely has a book engrossed me more, and forced me to question everything I've ever read, seen or written. A masterpiece' Adam Rutherford

Why Stories Make Us Human, and How to Tell Them Better

Will Storr has done some seriously bizarre and otherworldly things over the course of his career as a journalist. But even spending an entire day with Ozzy Osbourne wasn't as frightening as when he agreed to follow Philadelphia "demonologist" Lou Gentile on his appointed rounds. Will Storr never believed in ghosts—but his healthy skepticism couldn't explain the strange lights and sounds he witnessed, and the weird behavior of the occupants of several allegedly haunted houses. What resulted is a confirmed cynic's (and proud of it!) dedicated search for answers in a shadowy world of sÉances, mediums, devil worshippers—even the Vatican's chief exorcist. So get ready to confront the genuinely creepy along with the hilariously ridiculous in Will Storr vs. the Supernatural!

One Man's Search for the Truth About Ghosts

Will Storr vs. The Supernatural

Why do obviously intelligent people believe things in spite of the evidence against them? Will Storr has travelled across the world to meet an extraordinary cast of modern heretics in order to answer this question. He goes on a tour of Holocaust sites with David Irving and a band of neo-Nazis, experiences his own murder during 'past-life regression' hypnosis, takes part in a mass homeopathic overdose, and investigates a new disease affecting tens of thousands of people - a disease that doesn't actually exist. Using a unique mix of personal memoir, investigative journalism and the latest research from neuroscience and experimental psychology, Storr reveals why the facts just won't convince some people, and how the neurological 'hero-maker' inside all of us can so easily lead to self-deception and science-denial. The Heretics will change the way you think about thinking.

The Heretics

Will Storr was in the tropical north of Australia, excavating fossils with a celebrity creationist, when he asked himself a simple question. Why don't facts work? Why, that is, did the obviously intelligent man beside him sincerely believe in Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden and a six-thousand-year-old Earth, in spite of the evidence against them? It was the start of a journey that would lead Storr all over the world – from Texas to Warsaw to the Outer Hebrides – meeting an extraordinary cast of modern heretics whom he tries his best to understand. He goes on a tour of Holocaust sites with David Irving and a band of neo-Nazis, experiences his own murder during "past life regression" hypnosis, discusses the looming One World Government with iconic climate sceptic Lord Monckton and investigates the tragic life and death of a woman who believed her parents were high priests in a baby-eating cult. Using a unique mix of highly personal memoir, investigative journalism and the latest research from neuroscience and experimental psychology, Storr reveals how the stories we tell ourselves about the world invisibly shape our beliefs, and how the neurological "hero maker" inside us all can so easily lead to self-deception, toxic partisanship and science denial.

Hikaye Anlaticiliginin Bilimi

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘If you want to write a novel or a script, read this book’ Sunday Times ‘The best book on the craft of storytelling I’ve ever read’ Matt Haig ‘Rarely has a book engrossed me more, and forced me to question everything I’ve ever read, seen or written. A masterpiece’ Adam Rutherford

The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human, and How to Tell Them Better

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Science of Storytelling comes a bold and ambitious investigation of status that will redefine human culture for our times There's something humans desire even more than gold. It's a fundamental drive that's common to all humanity, cutting across race, gender, age and culture. Our need for it is such that exactly how much of it we possess dramatically effects not only our happiness and well-being but also our physical health. It'sstatus, argues Will Storr. You can't understand human behaviour without understanding The Status Game. This game, which we are all playing, is not only the secret of our success, but also of our most evil behaviour. Everything is subordinate to status, and humans aren't unique in our complicity with it. By reflecting on the various ways humans negotiate this game - through status hierarchies, values, myths and sacred markers, Storr gives readers a master class in this most malevolent of social mysteries.

Olga Abasolo

Las historias moldean lo que somos, desde nuestro carácter hasta nuestra identidad cultural, nos impulsan a realizar nuestros sueños y ambiciones y dan forma a nuestra política y nuestras creencias. Las utilizamos para construir nuestras relaciones, para mantener el orden en nuestros tribunales, para interpretar los acontecimientos en nuestros periódicos y medios de comunicación social. Contar historias es una parte esencial de lo que nos hace humanos. Ha habido muchos intentos de descifrar lo que constituye una buena historia, desde las teorías de Joseph Campbell hasta los recientes intentos de descifrar el «código del best seller». Pero pocos han utilizado un enfoque científico. Para entender la narración de historias en su sentido más amplio, primero debemos comprender al narrador por excelencia: el cerebro humano. Aplicando una deslumbrante investigación psicológica y la neurociencia más vanguardista, Will Storr demuestra cómo nos manipulan los maestros de la narración, en un viaje que va desde las escrituras hebreas hasta Mr. Men, desde la literatura ganadora del Premio Booker hasta la televisión de pago, desde el drama griego hasta las novelas rusas y los cuentos populares de los nativos americanos.

La ciencia de contar historias

Unpersuadables

La scienza dello storytelling. Come le storie incantano il cervello

Killian Lone comes from a long line of gifted cooks, and yearns to become a famous chef himself. When he starts an apprenticeship under Max Mann, the most famous chef in London, he looks set to continue the family tradition. But the reality of kitchen life is brutal and relentless. Then he discovers a dark family secret - the legacy of a long-dead ancestor, who was burnt as a witch for creating food so delicious it was said to turn all who tasted it mad. Killian knows he can use this secret to achieve his ambitions.

The Hunger and the Howling of Killian Lone

A fascinating exploration of how to use the power of storytelling to create irresistible pitches, build passionate brand loyalty, motivate teams and lead with charisma. 'Will Storr is a genius' Rory Sutherland 'A captivating and enlightening read . . Will Storr is an unusually talented and insightful writer' Adam Grant 'Storr shares profound insights' Seth Godin 'Whip smart, insightful and ridiculously entertaining' Jimmy Carr 'Shows how storytelling is the key to success in business, politics and even personal relationships.' The Times ____________________________________________________ Storytelling is how we experience the world: the stories we tell form our identity, influence our relationships and change our behaviour. They also determine the products we buy, the leaders we follow and the brands we connect with, to extraordinary effect. Will Storr explains the cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience of storytelling - using fascinating examples ranging from Aztec rituals to Apple's legendary advertising successes - to demonstrate how you can use stories to engage and influence your audience. How can you create irresistible pitches, build brand loyalty, motivate teams and lead with charisma? Simply by telling the right story. _____________________________________________________ 'Intensely original and powerfully practical' Jonah Berger 'A fascinating insight into the human mind' Levinson Wood 'A very clever book that makes the reader feel cleverer with every page' Daniel Finkelstein 'Powerfully persuasive and urgently practical' Bruce Daisley 'Will Storr has a unique ability to explain our social world in ways that would never otherwise occur' Jack Dee

How to use the science of story to motivate and persuade

A Story is a Deal

علم رواية القصص

"Accompanying a self-described demonologist in Philadelphia for a magazine story, London journalist and self-described skeptic Storr quickly came face to face with evidence he couldn't dismiss-a close encounter with a poltergeist ("something had touched me, hard enough to launch me to my feet") and a divination aficionado who may very well have been possessed. In the account that follows, Storr takes readers into some of the more disturbing and disturbed corners of modern ghost-hunting, whipping up a chilling, funny, thought-provoking page-turner. With great care and greater humor, Storr accompanies paranormal investigators famous and obscure, ghost hunting clubs and perplexed homeowners, taking time to research famous cases and discuss his findings with the experts, as well as the witnesses and victims of hauntings. The evidence he finds-from orbs of light that dance on-camera to spectral voices recorded on tape to seemingly possessed individuals-proves only slightly more fascinating than the folks who pursue it, a grand collection of kooks, swindlers, skeptics and true believers"--Publishers Weekly.

Will Storr

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