Many of us at The Smoky Mountain News have written novels, are in the process of writing a novel or plan to write one in the future, so novel writing is often a topic of conversation among the staff and we like to share resources.
My colleague, Hannah McLeod, recently recommended the book “The Science of Storytelling” by Will Storr. It was recommended to her by our publisher, Scott McLeod.
It’s a fascinating read in the way that Storr offers research-based insight into the human psyche and why we think and act the way we do. Fiction writers can create more compelling characters and stories if we know what captures the reader’s interest and holds their attention. One such insight involves the reasoning behind people’s obsession with heroes and villains.
Storr states, “Humans have evolved to respond in certain ways to tales of heroism and villainy because doing so has been critical for our survival. This was especially true back when we were living in hunter-gatherer tribes. We’ve spent more than ninety-five percent of our time on earth existing in such tribes and much of the neural architecture we still carry around today evolved when we were doing so. In this twenty-first century of speed, information and high technology, we still have Stone Age brains. As powerful as culture is, it cannot cancel out or transform these deeply embedded primal forces, but only modulate it.”
He goes on to talk about how we as a species view selfless behavior as heroic and selfish acts as evil. We had to perceive the world in this way to survive. Our ancestors did not have police forces, per se, but within each tribe, they developed their own type of judicial system and were steadfast in punishing those who acted selfishly and rewarded those who acted in protection or in honor of the tribe.
With all of that being said, it’s not surprising that our brains continue to function in a similar fashion. Consider politics, for example. No matter which side of the aisle is preferred, one political leader is viewed as a hero and another as a villain. Let’s also consider famous athletes. For many young people, sports stars like LeBron James, Lionel Messi or Simone Biles are viewed as heroes. And though I’m sure some of you are sick of hearing about Taylor Swift, there’s no denying she is an empowering hero to millions of girls and young women.
And then there are villains. There have been innumerable villains throughout history, but let’s discuss a relatively recent situation. The majority of the world looked upon Vladimir Putin with disgust over his actions in Ukraine because it went against “tribal norms.” He acted out against another tribe solely for selfish reasons, which in our primal brains is abhorrent.
Here’s the really interesting part, though. Even though we look upon villains with disgust, we’re also curious about them. Curiosity is another ancestral element to our neural wiring that continues to affect our choices and experiences. We are naturally curious about other people and their actions, and we are especially curious about villains or those acting differently from the norm. We wonder, “Why are they acting that way?” “Why did she do that?” “What’s going on in his mind?” And so on.
Heroes make us feel safe, but villains keep us on our toes, and if you think about it, we need to feel both ways in order to survive and evolve. Take a moment to ponder your everyday life, whether it’s work, family, community or just people you know in your city or town. I’m sure you can come up with a handful of “heroes” and a handful of “villains.”
Evolutionary psychologists also argue that we have two driving forces. The first is to connect with others and the second is to dominate. Put another way, we have two hard-wired ambitions — to get along with other people so they like us but also to get ahead of other people so we can reach a certain status. This ongoing internal conflict is what drives most of human behavior and fuels a range of complicated emotions.
In my opinion, while our brains haven’t changed much from those of our cave-dwelling ancestors, we have one major advantage over them and that is awareness. Modern humans have the gift of metacognition and the simple act of knowing what drives us can be helpful in creating a more relaxed and peaceful existence. Those who came before us acted in a true state of fear because they were constantly having to figure out how to survive. This helps us understand why we’re often worried or fearful about irrational things and knowing that it’s simply residue from relatives who were being chased by lions or frantically searching for their next meal can help alleviate or lessen modern anxiety.
I started reading Storr’s book so it would strengthen my novel-writing and character development skills. While it’s certainly helping me do that, it’s also providing deep insight into the living human beings all around me. Each day I learn more and more why they say “truth is stranger than fiction.” If one wants to write a great story, one must create characters and plot curves that are at least equivalent to what’s happening in the real world.
(Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist with The Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living magazine. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)