The Sea We Swim In: How Stories Work in a Data-Driven World

In The Sea We Swim In, Frank Rose leads us to a new understanding of stories and their role in our lives. For decades, experts from many fieldspsychologists, economists, advertising and marketing executivesfailed to register the power of narrative. Scientists thought stories were frivolous. Economists were knee-deep in theory. Marketers just wanted to cut to the sales pitch. Yet stories, not reasoning, are the key to persuasion.

Whether were aware of it or not, stories determine how we view the world and our place in it. That means the tools of professional storytellerscharacter, world, detail, voicecan unlock a way of thinking thats ideal for an age in which we dont passively consume media but actively participate in it. Building on insights from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, Rose shows us how to see the world in narrative terms, not as a thesis to be argued or a pitch to be made but as a story to be told.

Leading brands and top entertainment professionals already understand the vast potential of storytelling. From Warby Parker to Mailchimp to The Walking Dead, Rose explains how they use stories to establish their identity and turn ordinary people into fansand how you can do the same.