The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr

 

"Turning the confusing and random into a comprehensible story is an essential function of the storytelling brain. We're surrounded by a tumult of often chaotic information. In order to help us feel in control, brains radically simplify the world with narrative. Estimates vary, but experts believe the brain processes around 11 million bits of information at any given moment, but makes us consciously aware of no more than forty. The brain sorts through an abundance of information and decides what salient information to include in its stream of consciousness. There's a chance you've been made aware of these processes when, in a crowded room, you've suddenly heard someone in a distant corner speaking your name. This experience suggests the brain's been monitoring myriad conversations and has decided to alert you to the one that might prove salient to your well-being. It's constructing your story for you: sifting through the confusion of information that surrounds you, and showing you only what counts."