The Power of Family Stories

The Hidden Brain podcast episode explores the profound impact of family stories on our psychological well-being. Shankar Vedantam interviews psychologist Robyn Fivush, who shares her personal experiences with family tragedy and how it led her to study the effects of family narratives. Fivush's research reveals that family stories serve as anchors for identity and self-esteem, and that the way these stories are told—collaboratively and elaboratively—is crucial for children's emotional development, academic competence, and resilience. The episode also delves into the "Do You Know Scale," a tool used to assess family storytelling, and examines how family stories can help individuals cope with adversity, as seen in studies of children post-9/11 and military veterans. A second segment features philosopher Massimo Pigliucci answering listener questions about Stoicism, offering insights on managing emotions, dealing with grief, and applying Stoic principles to modern challenges like climate change and workplace relationships.