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Cited by 205Language and cultural evolutionChild and Animal Learning DevelopmentEvolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

Storytelling as Adaptive Collective Sensemaking

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Bietti, Lucas M., Tilston, Ottilie, Bangerter, Adrian·2019·Topics in Cognitive Science
DOI 10.1111/tops.12358PMC PMC7379714
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Abstract

Storytelling represents a key element in the creation and propagation of culture. Three main accounts of the adaptive function of storytelling include (a) manipulating the behavior of the audience to enhance the fitness of the narrator, (b) transmitting survival‐relevant information while avoiding the costs involved in the first‐hand acquisition of that information, and (c) maintaining social bonds or group‐level cooperation. We assess the substantial evidence collected in experimental and ethnographic studies for each account. These accounts do not always appeal to the specific features of storytelling above and beyond language use in general. We propose that the specific adaptive value of storytelling lies in making sense of non‐routine, uncertain, or novel situations, thereby enabling the collaborative development of previously acquired skills and knowledge, but also promoting social cohesion by strengthening intragroup identity and clarifying intergroup relations.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Bietti, L. M., Tilston, O., & Bangerter, A.
Affiliations
University of Neuchâtel (CH)
Corresponding author
Bietti, Lucas M.
ORCID
Venue
Topics in Cognitive Science
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2018-06-28
Volume
11
Issue
4
Pages
710-732
ISSN
  • 1756-8757 (ISSN-L)
  • 1756-8765
DOI
10.1111/tops.12358
PMC
PMC7379714
OpenAlex
W2810649980
Cited by
205
References
15
Citations by year
2026: 32 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 2
FWCI
76.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Topics in Cognitive Science (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Funders
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (PZ00P1‐154968)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords
storytelling, collective sensemaking, cultural transmission, social bonding, group cooperation, social cohesion, intergroup relations
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Communication, Culture, Group Processes, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Language, Social Behavior, Knowledge, Narration, Sense of Coherence, Social Skills

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