Say It Simply, See It Clearly: The Scientist’s Case for Storytelling

By Pooja shree Chettiar

Storytelling has long been used to bridge the gap between complex research and public understanding. A growing number of articles, initiatives, and institutional programs have recently highlighted how narratives can increase engagement, foster trust, and counter misinformation. A lot of attention is paid to how stories help people grasp scientific concepts, but what if storytelling also serves the scientist, not just the audience?

I realized this when I used a break-up analogy to explain my complex neuroscience research, which focuses on the molecular mechanism of reversal learning. I explained break-up as a phase where the brain gets stuck, struggling to move on and compared it with reversal learning behavior in mice. Someone outside of my field actually understood the concept for the first time. A simple, relatable story of loss and change was created from years of intricate data and technical jargon.

In addition to being understood, science has emotional resonance. I learned from experience that storytelling is a powerful cognitive tool—not just a communication technique. It helps scientists make their points clear, polish their concepts, and sometimes discover something new about their own research. In an era where misinformation spreads faster than truth, it’s clear that facts alone aren’t enough. To make science more impactful for all, we must craft more compelling stories.

Scientists as Storytellers—and Learners

Podcasts and TED Talks aren’t the only platforms for scientific storytelling. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition is a science showcase that is gaining popularity on college campuses all over the world. 3MT was first introduced in Australia and is currently a standard at many universities, including mine. In this competition, graduate students are challenged to present years of research in just three minutes, using only one slide, no jargon, and plenty of creativity. It’s more than a contest—it’s a crash course in narrative clarity.

I vividly remember preparing for my 3MT talk, trying to reduce years of electrophysiology and synaptic plasticity research into 180 seconds. In the process, I realized something: the moment I turned my research into a metaphor, I finally understood its broader significance. My research, once clouded in technical detail, became a story about change, connection, and resilience.

I wasn’t alone. Conversations with other 3MT participants echoed the same realization: storytelling forced them to ask, “What’s the big picture? Why does this matter?” One colleague studying soil microbiomes described her research as “giving voices to invisible ecosystems,” which helped her communicate and conceptualize her work in new ways.

What’s more, students often invite friends, families, and curious neighbors to these events. Suddenly, science isn’t confined to the lab or classroom—it’s on stage, in plain language, in front of people who may never have attended a scientific talk before. These shared moments can ignite curiosity, build trust, and spark unexpected insight.

Cognitive Clarity Through Narrative

Cognitive psychology provides more and more proof that structuring information into a story improves memory, understanding, and judgment. According to the concept of “narrative transportation,” listeners become mentally immersed in stories, making the information more emotionally resonant and memorable. But this applies to speakers, too.

When researchers structure their findings into a story, they activate not just memory but also reasoning. It encourages the mental synthesis of scattered results into a coherent arc. In neuroscience terms, storytelling is an exercise in integration—activating the brain’s default mode network, which is associated with introspection and meaning-making.

Implications for Scientific Training

Even with these advantages, storytelling is still underutilized in scientific training. Communication workshops are viewed as outreach efforts rather than essential components of the research process. This perspective must shift. Activities like the 3MT competition, blog writing, or narrative lab reports should be seen as reflective tools that improve clarity and confidence in one’s work. By encouraging researchers to develop metaphors or analogies for their research, we not only make science more inclusive, but also foster deeper scientific insight.

In fact, universities could take this one step further: What if graduate students were required to submit a one-page summary of their research aimed at a curious high school student or a general audience in addition to their thesis? Even better, what if all graduate training included a presentation in the 3MT style? These formats prepare students to communicate science and train them to think differently about their science.

As one fellow scientist told me after presenting her work to a general audience: “For the first time, I saw how all my data actually fits together. I think I just figured out the opening paragraph of my thesis.”

A Call for Reflective Storytelling

We often assume that the goal of science storytelling is to teach the public. But let’s not neglect how it also teaches us. By turning our research into stories, we sharpen our thinking, distill our purpose, and rediscover our curiosity.

Storytelling doesn’t just transmit knowledge—it transforms it. As scientists, we need to stop seeing narrative as a soft skill and start embracing it as a core component of rigorous thinking. Because sometimes, the best way to understand your science is to tell its story.

Pooja is a PhD candidate in neuroscience at Texas A&M University who studies the effects of brain proteins like GluD1 on memory, learning, and behavioral flexibility. She is a first-generation graduate student from India who is interested about bringing complicated scientific findings to a wider audience. In addition to receiving honors for science communication and recognition at national conferences, her research has resulted in the creation of a unique medicinal peptide. Aspiring to excel as a science communicator, she values clarity and human connection as much as scientific innovation. Whether she is presenting at conferences, speaking to the public, or engaging in everyday conversations, she is dedicated to making science more inclusive, engaging, and impactful.