# Stories are empathy machines The brain is unable to differentiate between a story and an experience; when you watch Forrest Gump run, the parts of your brain responsible for running actually activate. Therefore, stories can be likened to empathy machines; they are a way for an author to activate specific parts of the brains of other people. --- ## 📚 References - TEDx Talks. [Why Stories Captivate | Tomas Pueyo | TEDxHumboldtBay.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUT6GQveD0E) 2018. YouTube.