Since at least Aristotle, writers and scholars have debated what makes for a great story. One of them is Samsun Knight, a novelist who is also an economist and assistant professor of marketing at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. With a scientist’s tools, he’s done what previous theorizers have failed to: put theory to the test and demonstrated the key factor for empirically predicting which stories will be snore fests and which will leave audiences hungry for more.
Plenty of ups and downs are key to a great story, research finds
The Owl Picks
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Back pain can be debilitating, affecting your ability to enjoy everyday activities. The good news is, you don’t have to rely solely on medications to find relief. At livingnwell.com, we believe in the power of [...]
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One highlight of my Grade 3 life was dying from dysentery at the hands of a video game. I was ahead on schoolwork, and allowed to use the classroom computer to pioneer a family across [...]
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Your diet — the foods and drinks you eat, not short-term restrictive programs — can impact your heart disease risk. Evidence-based approaches to eating are used by dietitians and physicians to prevent and treat cardiovascular [...]
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Imagine being stuck in traffic while running late to an important meeting at work. You feel your face overheating as your thoughts start to race along: “they’re going to think I’m a horrible employee,” “my [...]
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In this series we pay tribute to the art we wish could visit — and hope to see once travel restrictions are lifted. In Book Two of the Republic, Plato famously describes the “fevered” city, a town [...]
