"deepen[ing] our understanding of why stories motivate voluntary cooperation" #readingToday  

By taking blood draws before and after the narrative, we found that character-driven stories do consistently cause oxytocin synthesis. Further, the amount of oxytocin released by the brain predicted how much people were willing to help others; for example, donating money to a charity associated with the narrative. In subsequent studies we have been able to deepen our understanding of why stories motivate voluntary cooperation.