View article

Stories can provide a powerful means of communication, entertainment, and persuasion. The authors review models of narrative effects (e.g., the transportation imagery model, the extended elaboration likelihood model, narrative engagement, mental simulation, and social cognitive theory). They discuss measurement of immersive narrative experiences, and how narratives can motivate belief and behavior change, including through fictional stories and in health contexts. The chapter ends with a discussion of effects unique to narratives, such as the simulation of social experiences (including identification with characters and theory of mind processes), moral judgements, and the expansion of one’s own boundaries within a narrative world.