The importance information gaps in stories

Brand & Marketing

Stories depend on the artful manipulation of what Loewenstein calls information gaps. In McKee’s words, ‘Curiosity is the intellectual need to answer questions and close open patterns. Story plays to this universal desire by doing the opposite, posing questions and opening situations.’ The storyteller plays a cat and mouse game with the viewer (or reader, or listener), opening and closing information gaps as the narrative unfolds, unspooling the viewer’s curiosity.

Behavioural principles

Behavioural ideas at play in this post

Short, plain-English explanations of the principles behind this post, with links to related books and examples in the archive.

Choice overload

Too many options can create paralysis, delay, and regret.

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Narrative bias

Coherent stories feel truer than messy reality.

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Curse of knowledge

Once we know something, it becomes hard to imagine what it feels like not to know it.

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The importance information gaps in stories

Behavioural ideas at play in this post

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