The neuroscience behind every story you actually remember is the same. Anything predictable is boring. Contrasts help us remember. Storytellers know that.
What Is the Contrast Effect? A Quick Primer
Contrast effect psychology is built into the photo. When you look at the photograph you don’t count the number of ships. It is the umbrella that draws your attention. The human brain has evolved over the years to look for contrasts. Every storyteller uses the neuroscience of contrasts. The brain responds to what is different.
When our ancestors lived in caves, they had to be alert to protect themselves from predators. You can visualize a group of hunters going to look for their meal. Suddenly they hear the sound of an animal. Everyone is silent. The sound of the animal becomes clearer. The leader notices a bright red creature in the bushes. They have a fraction of a second to respond. It is a Mandrill. The bright red colors of the Mandrill is in sharp contrast to the green leaves around.
This photo of the Mandrill is a gift from Stacy Biehle. Thanks!
The Neuroscience of Attention
When you tell a story, the most powerful moment must show the greatest contrast. In the movie Schindler’s List everything is stark black and white except for one girl’s red. The brain’s alarm system responds to what’s different from everything else on screen.
Attention and the Brain Are Wired for Difference, Not Sameness
We have all heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. When he did it for the first time, the villagers dropped everything and rushed to his rescue. The boy stood there grinning and told the villagers, it was a prank. The boy did it a few more times. The villagers got habituated to the prank. Then one day when day when the wolf attacked the boy for real, no one came to rescue the boy.
The Dopamine and Storytelling Connection
The brain is a prediction machine. When you find a plot twist, it is defying the brain’s prediction. The prediction error makes us gasp. Children are fascinated by everything that they see. The adult who tells that they know everything that you have to tell is a boring companion. We like people to be surprised and fascinated when we tell a story.
Why We Remember Stories (and Forget Almost Everything Else)
Steve Jobs was famous for his stories. Just when you thought it was all over he would drop his voice and say, “Just one more thing…” He would pause, drop his voice and almost add it like an afterthought. He let the room go quiet before revealing the product…
Amateur presenters try to fill up every pause. The master storyteller uses the pause to make the audience lean forward. The “peak” is the emotional low-to-high swing, and the “end” is whatever closing line the storyteller leaves you with. Those two moments are what survive in memory.
How to Use the Contrast Effect in Your Own Storytelling
The legendary photographer Raghu Rai used to talk about the power of contrasts. He would spend hours watching the subjects through his viewfinder. One story is about sparrows. He was watching the sparrows pecking away at the grains. It was interesting but not extremely interesting.
Then comes the “intruder” – a crow. The sparrows instead of flying away (what we predicted… but we are wrong) they make space for the crow and continue eating.
When you present an idea the next time, keep these three suggestions:
- Start flat before you go high. Show the boring, normal, or calm version first. The “messy, ugly version” before the makeover, or the quiet before the twist. That boring start gives your audience needs a baseline to notice the contrast..
- Pick one moment to be the peak. If you are telling us about a product or the sales victory, let it be about a moment that changed everything. If every moment of your presentation is “amazing”, or “breathtaking” or something superlative, it kills the big moment.
- Minimize the explanation. Don’t be the person who starts every conversation with, “I will tell you a funny story. It is hilarious. You will laugh so much that …” Just tell the story and get to the punch line.
The average poet will focus on the words and try to perfect what is said. The masters perfect what is not said.