Why We Crave Stories

Why We Crave Stories

From What Happens Next in 6 Minutes by Larry Bernstein

May 13, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

Fritz Breithaupt discusses the relationship between narratives and empathy, and how fictional stories can aid in personal growth.

This podcast was taped at a conference where I hosted several Penn Professors on various topics. The audience included my friends who will join me in asking questions. Fritz Breithaupt is the speaker, and he is a humanities scholar as well as a cognitive scientist at UPenn where he is studying the relationship between narratives and empathy. Fritz is the author of a new book entitled The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell. I want Fritz to talk about how we experience fictional stories in our daydreams to achieve personal growth. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe

People in this episode

Host: Larry Bernstein

Guest: Fritz Breithaupt

Topics covered

  • narratives
  • empathy
  • personal growth
  • fictional stories
  • cognitive science

Keywords

  • stories
  • narratives
  • empathy
  • cognitive science
  • personal growth
  • fiction

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UPenn

Books & works: The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell

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