The Power of Storytelling

Humans have been telling stories for far longer than they have been writing.

人类讲故事的历史，比书写的历史要长得多。

Stories helped our ancestors pass on knowledge and shared values.

故事帮助我们的祖先传承知识和共同的价值观。

Even today, we remember narratives much more easily than lists of facts.

即使在今天，我们记住叙事也比记住一连串事实要容易得多。

When we follow a story, our brains respond as if we were living it.

当我们跟随一个故事时，大脑的反应就好像我们亲身经历一样。

This is why charities often focus on a single person rather than statistics.

这就是为什么慈善机构往往聚焦于某一个人，而不是统计数据。

A vivid example tends to move us more than an overwhelming number.

一个生动的例子往往比一个庞大得令人不知所措的数字更能打动我们。

Business leaders increasingly rely on storytelling to communicate their vision.

企业领导者越来越依靠讲故事来传达他们的愿景。

However, the same techniques can be used to spread misleading ideas.

然而，同样的手法也可能被用来传播误导性的观点。

Learning to recognise how stories influence us is therefore an essential skill.

因此，学会识别故事如何影响我们，是一项必不可少的技能。