Why Are Stories Stickier Than Statistics? (Replay)

Also: are the most memorable stories less likely to be true? Stephen Dubner chats with Angela Duckworth in this classic episode from July 2020.

SOURCES:Pearl S. Buck • , 20th-century American novelist. Jack Gallant • , professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Steve Levitt • , professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago, host of People I (Mostly) Admire, • and co-author of the Freakonomics • books. George Loewenstein • , professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. Deborah Small • , professor of marketing at Yale University. Adin Steinsaltz • , rabbi, philosopher, and author. Diana Tamir • , professor of neuroscience and psychology at Princeton University.

RESOURCES: • " The Representation of Semantic Information Across Human Cerebral Cortex During Listening Versus Reading Is Invariant to Stimulus Modality • ," by Fatma Deniz, Anwar O. Nunez-Elizalde, Alexander G. Huth and Jack L. Gallant ( Journal of Neuroscience, • 2019). • " Reading Fiction and Reading Minds: The Role of Simulation in the Default Network • ," by Diana Tamir, Andrew B. Bricker, David Dodell-Feder, and Jason P. Mitchell ( Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, • 2016). Think Like a Freak, • by Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt (2014). SuperFreakonomics, • by Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt (2009). Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure, • by the Department of Defense (2009). • " Stories or Statistics? Farmers' Attitudes Toward Messages in an Agricultural Safety Campaign • ," by S. E. Morgan, H. P. Cole, T. Struttmann, and L. Piercy ( Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, • 2002). • " Explaining the Identifiable Victim Effect • ," by Karen Jenni and George Loewenstein ( Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, • 1997). • " Explanation-Based Decision Making: Effects of Memory Structure on Judgment • ," by N. Pennington and R. Hastie ( Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, • 1988). The Good Earth, • by Pearl S. Buck (1931).

EXTRAS: • " Abortion and Crime, Revisited (Update) • ," by Freakonomics Radio • (2022). • " This Is Your Brain on Podcasts • ," by Freakonomics Radio • (2016).