The Psychology of Stories With Markus Appel

This episode features a conversation with psychologist, Markus Appel. It was recorded in November 2023.

Markus is professor of media communication at the University of Würzburg, Germany. His work sits at the intersection of psychology and communication science, with major research areas including life in the digital age, media and reality, and, most pertinent to our conversation, narratives and persuasion.

Amongst other things, Markus and I discussed the ability of stories to impact people’s attitudes and behaviours, what makes some stories more persuasive than others, and some caution that communicators should keep in mind when using the powerful tool that is storytelling.

Additional links:

Markus’ website

Access Markus’ research into narratives and persuasion here

An example of entertainment education in Ethiopian radio soap operas

The McKee Triangle of story structures