Why do brains love stories? (with Joshua Landy)

How do brains slip so easily from the real world into made up worlds? What do authors of great literature have in common with stage magicians and comedians? What does any of this have to do with cognitive shortcuts, prediction machines, Marcel Proust, Toni Morrison, Jane Austen, or why jokes are always structured in threes? Join Eagleman this week for a conversation with his Stanford colleague Joshua Landy as they discuss brains on story.

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More Information:

Landy J. The World According to Proust. Oxford University Press; 2023.

Landy J. Marcel Proust: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions). Oxford University Press. 2024.

Eagleman DM. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. New York: Pantheon. 2011.

Upcoming book: Eagleman D, Landy J. “This is your brain on story” 2026.

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