Stories are the New Evidence
Picture this: you’re learning about the aggression of hippos in an animal science class during college. A student in the classroom raises her hand and says, “How do we know this is true?” Your professor could reply in two ways:
1. “The hippo is responsible for more human fatalities in Africa than any other large animal.”
2. I actually have a story for you. My friend and I went on an expedition in Africa , we camped in the wilderness, and followed our guide around to see the coolest of Africa’s deadly wildlife. Whilst in the river, we spotted a female hippo; she had kids on the bank of the river just entering the water. She wanted to protect her young, so she slipped under the water and came under our boat. Within the next two seconds, our boat was being tipped over and rocked by the heavy monster. One of the men in our boat fell out. The hippo stopped charging the boat, and attacked the man instead. He died in the water by drowning. My friend and I barely made it out there alive. As vegetarians, they wouldn’t eat humans, but they will attack to protect their young.
Which one would persuade you more?
When we think of evidence, we immediately think of statistics and facts that help to prove a point. After all, the cold hard facts and numbers tell a true story. But it’s not the statistics that convince humans the most. It’s actually better to use anecdotes and personal experiences to back up your points rather than just using numbers and figures, stories are going to trigger more of a response make people remember your case.
I’ve always figured the validity of a statement always lies within the numbers. That’s the only way to convince people of something, by using the truth. I didn’t think I could believe in just anyone and what came out of their mouth. More importantly, I didn’t realize how much it was stories that influenced me.
Take my grandpa for example. He makes so many wild comments on his neighbors, the war he was in, his childhood. There were no numbers or professors to back up what he said, but I believed him by just listening to his stories. In fact, I can still recall them now; how all he had to eat in the war was pineapples because there was nothing else more nutritious in the Malaysian jungle, how he was run over by a tractor when he was 8 and broke his leg in two places, how he had weekly arm wrestling matches with his neighbor in his 20’s. He could’ve made up every last detail, but it’s more convincing than numbers could’ve ever been. That goes for anything anyone has ever said. The absence of cold hard evidence doesn’t stop us from believing in what we hear.
Barlow students are aware of this revelation, and agree it should be addressed more. After giving the hippo analogy, Barlow student Aaron Hurwitz said, “I think the hippo would convince me more, because a good heart-wrenching story always does the trick. Statistics don’t have the same effect.” In Joel Barlow High School poll, 17 of 20 students and staff members thought stories were more convincing. Their reason? “Not because they were truer than statistics, but because they were more emotionally stimulating,” says Aaron Hurwitz.
Actually, according to the research, only using an anecdote works better than using a combination of both. In an experimented reported in Chip and Dan’s Health book Made to Stick discovers that mixing the analytical and an emotional anecdote may cancel out the power of the anecdote alone. While performing research at Carnegie Mellon University, George Loewenstein and his partners compared the three different scenarios of trying to get people to donate to charities that support the poor people in Africa: one with statistical information, one with a. heart-wrenching anecdote, and one with both. The results show that statistics received $1.14, the story received $2.38, and the scenario with both earned $1.43 (Mitchell). This shows that by using only an anecdote, they were able to raise twice the amount of money than with statistics.
Throughout America’s history, there have been stories with no substantial evidence, only emotional tear, that have caused wars to break out. Take the “attack” on the USS Maine during January of 1898. An explosion had occurred on board and left over 260 innocent crew members dead. As a result, big newspaper companies like the New York Journal and New York World covered the story using a tactic known as yellow journalism, and made it their job to exaggerate what they had heard, whether it was true or not. After their stories were published, the US public believed that the ship was either bombed or mined, and the only way the Spanish could ever make up for the loss of American lives was to grant complete Cuban Independence, which was not in Spain’s agenda. A story with no assurance of truth made it close to impossible for the US and Spain to make a peaceful compromise, and within two months the Spanish-American War had begun.
It’s been proven through time that anecdotal references are known to have immense power when attempting to make certain information more convincing and memorable. Yes, statistics provide real prove that something is true, but the validity behind the statement isn’t what makes a statement persuasive, it’s the amount of human emotion that can be produced from one. Sometimes professional actions demand statistics, but stories and personal experiences should reign supreme on persuasive techniques.
Works Cited:
The Destruction of USS Maine. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORY AND
HERITAGE COMMAND . Web. 18 Nov 2013. <http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq71-1.htm>.
Hurwitz, Aaron. Interview by author. 17 10 13. Redding CT.
Mitchell, Olivia. "The power of anecdotal evidence." . Speaking about Presenting . Web. 14
Oct 2013. <http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/content/the-power-of-anecdotal-evidence/>.
Warren, Michaela. "Poll: Anecdote vs Statistics" Poll. 19 October 2013. Redding CT.
Zijlma, Anouk. "Africa's Most Dangerous Animals: Africa's Deadliest Animals." About.
About.com. Web. 15 Nov 2013. <http://goafrica.about.com/od/africasafariguide/tp/dangerousanimals.htm>.
