Javeria Shahid A Quick Guide
Some people are innate storytellers, while it’s difficult for others to keep your interest. Emotions, exaggeration, and authenticity are typically the deciding factors between a boring story and a fascinating one. Boring stories are often presented in a linear fashion. Poor storytellers repeatedly state every piece of information and detail without placing any special focus on any one of them. They frequently concentrate on perfecting even the most minute details. Maybe someone has told you something like, “And then we met Jacob, no wait, we went for lunch first, yes, that’s right, then we met Jacob, and then we went to Aunt Susan’s.” You see how this particular story is one boring fact after the other. On the contrary hand, great storytellers offer perspective. They direct your attention to the most intriguing portions of the story, which occasionally necessitates a little exaggeration, to help you grasp what the story implies.
Understanding the concept of exaggeration
Many people have issues with exaggerating their connections, and achievements while downplaying their flaws. There is little doubt that the culture in which we live appears to accept exaggeration.
We encounter false assertions, exaggerations, misrepresentations, and overstatements every day. According to psychologist Robert Feldman, people exaggerate to preserve their social standing or to defend their self-esteem.
Why do people exaggerate their stories?
According to research conducted by Holly E. Cole, and Denise R. Beike, it’s possible that exaggerating can boost the social advantages of sharing past experiences with others. Exaggeration in storytelling makes people more captivated and makes them feel closer to the storyteller.
In other words, people are okay with breaking the accepted societal norm against lying. But of course, that is only acceptable to an extent as there is a fine line between exaggeration and outright lying. Lies that are excessive and unrealistic in a story can lead to negative emotions and damaged relationships.
How is storytelling a good thing?
The existence of a book of stories in every major religion is not a coincidence. We express our traditions and our ideals through stories. They describe who we are and who we wish to be in the future.
Our culture is woven together from great stories. They are a compelling combination of genuine passion and creative exaggeration that connects on an emotional level with both the teller and the listener, motivating noble acts.
In conveying a story, judgment, and perspective are important. Let’s say you work at a firm, and a customer says you are the best company in business. You don’t necessarily need to put together a fact-based competitive analysis. And it wouldn’t be such a big deal if you overstate some things like the customer swooning when retelling your encounter.
On the other hand, it would be an entirely different thing if you were to exaggerate invoices, it would be considered dishonest. Most people are intelligent enough to distinguish between the two scenarios.
We hope you found this article useful in learning more about why we behave the way we do and why some people tend to exaggerate while others do not.