In his book, Act of Meaning, psychologist Jerome Bruner distinguishes between two different modes of thinking:

Paradigmatic Thinking

Analytical. Making an argument. Amassing data, collecting evidence, and offering hypotheses.

Narrative Thinking

Understanding the individual in front of you. Capturing a person's unique presence and character. How someone struggles and strives.

People respond more to emotion than to statistics. It's why podcasts have become such a popular medium.

We grew up on talk shows with multiple talking heads spouting pre-meditated facts, figures, and mantras for four-minute segments without ever showing their true selves.

When someone is allowed the time and space to tell you their story, you get a much more personal, complicated, and attractive image of the person. You get to experience their experience.