Golden State Today

In a recent episode of Berkeley Talks, bestselling author and UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus Michael Pollan discussed his approach to selecting subjects, the reasons behind co-founding the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, and the influential power of storytelling.

“We’re wired for story,” Pollan stated during his conversation with KQED’s Mina Kim at a UC Berkeley event in May 2024. “We’re a storytelling and consuming people, and we remember better and we’re moved more by narrative than we are by information or argument."

Pollan emphasized that shorter journalism often relies heavily on argument to generate impact but believes this is not the most effective way to change minds. “I think changing minds has to work at all levels: It has to work at the intellectual level, it has to work at the emotional level, and at even probably subliminal levels, and story does that," he said. "When you look at great pieces of narrative journalism, people don’t even realize their minds have been changed by the time they get to the end of it.”

Pollan is known for his eight books, including "The Omnivore’s Dilemma" (2010), which examines the consequences of food choices on animal welfare and the environment, and "How to Change Your Mind" (2018), which explores the history and effects of psychedelics on human cognition. He recently retired from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism after many years of teaching.

Watch a video of the conversation.