Mammalian brain · Storytelling & Archetypes
Identified Victim Effect
One named, pictured person moves people more than statistics about thousands; adding the statistics to the story reduces giving. The effect is real but smaller and more conditional than its fame.
An everyday example
A single child's photo raising more than a famine's death toll.
What it can cost you
Allocating help or money by vividness rather than by impact; being moved by a story chosen for its power.
Warning signs
- I gave to the face, not the cause.
- Statistics made me feel less, not more.
One thing to do
Feel it, then ask about scale: how many, how much per person helped, and what happens to the rest.
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