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Narrative 4
A joint study from the University of Oxford and The Ohio State University reveals compelling evidence that storytelling reduces polarisation and measurably strengthens emotional connection, active citizenship and social cohesion among high school students.
The study, conducted in partnership with global non-profit organisation Narrative 4, evaluated 380 10th- and 11th-grade students across a politically diverse spectrum in five school districts in the US state of Kentucky during the 2024–2025 school year.
The lead researchers, Dr Emily Kubin (Experimental Psychology, Oxford) and Dr Kurt Gray (Ohio State University), measured empathy, curiosity, perspective-taking, classroom climate and civic readiness before and after the young people shared stories with one another.
The intervention, Narrative 4's Story Exchange methodology, has been used in over 30 countries, with more than one million stories shared to date. The Story Exchange is a structured group workshop in which participants prepare a story about a significant personal experience and share it with a partner. Participants then retell their partner's story to the group in the first person, as if it were their own.
At a time when polarisation is rising, Narrative 4 programming shows promise as a tool to decrease division in diverse classrooms and communities.
- Dr Emily Kubin
The study compared the experiences and perspectives of students who took part in this storytelling intervention with those of peers in a control group. Compared to students in the control group, those who participated in the storytelling intervention experienced the following key benefits:
- Reduced political polarisation, with affective polarisation toward political opponents decreasing by 4.37%.
- Greater empathy not only toward their classmates (+13.30%), but also toward people in their communities who are different from themselves (+10.62%).
- Increased respect for others in class (+5.40%) and for people they disagree with (+7.24%).
Dr Emily Kubin, University of Oxford, commented: "At a time when polarisation is rising, Narrative 4 programming shows promise as a tool to decrease division in diverse classrooms and communities. Our research points to the intervention's promise for other high schools across the United States and beyond."
Dr Kurt Gray, Ohio State University, added: "We find storytelling-based interventions highly successful in promoting empathy, curiosity, and perspective-taking. This programme also promotes pro-sociality by increasing civic engagement, respect for others and even reducing affective polarisation."
More on the study can be found here.