In recent months, I have read blogs and articles from marketers and entrepreneurs pushing the power of story and crediting mirror neurons for their results. But those articles have been misleading…and incomplete.
People love the idea of what they think mirror neurons do, but miss the most important part. Let’s clear that up now (albeit in a simplified manner).
Here’s the Science
Mirror neurons were first found in the 1990s by Italian scientist Giacomo Rizzolatti and his team. They were testing the brains of macaque monkeys and discovered a strange reaction. When they hooked the monkeys up to electrodes to monitor their brain activity, the scientists noticed that the same receptors fired in the monkeys’ brains when they observed the scientists eating ice cream as they did when the monkeys ate ice cream themselves.
The monkeys’ brains did not differentiate between the actual experience and the observed experience. This discovery led to the identification of mirror neurons in the brain.
Later, when the scientific community tested this on chimpanzees and humans, they found we all share this mirror neuron response.
They call the phenomenon of syncing between action and brain, neural coupling. And it is a powerful tool for all writers and marketers.
When you tell a story, your audience’s brains light up the same was as yours. This forms a bond between you. (Okay, here comes the nuance that makes all the difference…)
What that Means
When we observe (or hear or read about) something happening, our brains react the same way as if that event were happening to us. This happens because of mirror neurons—a subset of neurons that fire in our brains that allow for empathy.
But that is only the beginning of the story.
Neural coupling links our brains to those hearing (or reading) our stories. It creates a bond. But one based on an automatic reaction.
Telling a story only guarantees the firing of mirror neurons. It does not mean your reader (or listener) has stepped into the story itself or felt what the characters are feeling or the emotion you are trying to create. It is a gateway to an emotional response more akin to a gut feeling than a replication.
The function of mirror neurons matters because it allows for empathy and connection, but only when taken to a deeper level.
Without context and meaning, mirror neurons mean nothing more than a biological response and emotional reaction. It’s not guided, but reflective.
For Storytellers
You can’t just tell a story and immediately connect (even though a lot of “experts” will tell you that’s why you should tell stories).
If that were the case, then you’d care about every film you ever saw. You’d binge every TV series on Netflix. You’d ship every couple. And you’d hoard every novel you ever bought. But you don’t. Because mirror neurons alone are not enough. Neural coupling isn’t enough.
They may be a doorway to the good stuff, but not the end by themselves. They need more to matter.
INSIDER NOTE: Some scientists have hailed mirror neurons as “a cornerstone of human empathy, language, and other vital processes.” But others have hotly debated this, saying the effects of mirror neurons are highly exaggerated. I agree with these latter scientists, as the data backs them up.
This is what most “experts” miss: without meaning or context, you may fire your readers’ mirror neurons, but you are not connecting emotionally to them.
To do that, you need to achieve narrative transport.
What Is Narrative Transport?
Narrative transport or transportation happens when the reader experiences (or is transported) into the story as if it were happening to them. The reader identifies with the characters. They fear the obstacles. They react to the twists. They immerse themselves in the story itself.
You can tell when this happens when the audience gasps, cries, shouts, jumps, or leans in during a film. The audience became emotionally invested. They have suspended disbelief and entered the world of the film.
This happens in books, plays, TV shows, comedy specials, speeches, presentations, and any time a story is told.
Narrative transport allows for emotional responses in the audience tied to a specific cause. It’s not an automatic response, but one that happens when the story is told in a way that allows for that suspension of belief (and reality) to occur.
This requires some specific storytelling and writing techniques to happen.
And you want it to happen.
What Happens When Narrative Transport Occurs?
When readers, audiences, or clients get caught up in your story, their brains release neurotransmitters, like Oxytocin (the trust hormone), Dopamine (the brain’s reward center), and Cortisol (which focuses attention).
These are the trifecta of storytelling.
They allow for change…of opinion, action, belief, understanding, and so much more.
Narrative transport taps into the power of mirror neurons and directs it toward something meaningful instead of being reactive.
Mirror neurons are the path, but narrative transport is the change.
Want to learn more?
Sign up for the waitlist for Neuroscience of Story Master Class. This course (coming summer 2026) covers the brain science you need to understand, paired with practical writing tips designed to create narrative transport. Sign up today and get a bonus only for those who sign up for the course from the waitlist. There is no obligation to take the course if you are on the waitlist.