Anthropomorphizing Science

One of the graduate classes I'm currently taking is called Biology of Sleep. It's a new class through the neuroscience department, so we don't have a rigorous structure. Each week, we discuss a new topic in relation to the biological basis of sleep and/or circadian rhythms. When I signed up, I thought this class would be right up my alley. I have a relatively strong background in sleep and my advanced biology classes are only 2 years in my past and thus relatively fresh.

Super cute idea, the rest are at: http://kcd-elements.tumblr.com/

Turns out, I was absolutely wrong. This class has been incredibly difficult, especially when we have to read papers with terminology I can't even recall. This week, we focused on sleep, metabolism and obesity so I was expecting something about eating behaviors changing with a lack of sleep. Instead, we got this. I didn't know I was signing up for advanced genetics and biochemistry when I decided to take the class.

So in reading these highly technical and complicated papers, I've taken to anthropomorphizing ligands and kinases to tell myself a story and follow the molecular cycles. I create heros and villians who steal or give electrons in redox reactions. It's a form of mental shorthand for me to get the gist on these otherwise extremely difficult papers.

This is the kind of thing I memorize using stories

But I wonder, is this a good thing to do? Sure, it helps get the 'basic storyline' of the paper and what's happening in the cell, but is this a good way to teach students? I came up with the technique for my own personal use, but I wonder if professors find such an idea useful or not. The downside is that by creating a story, you give agency to things which do not think or feel. ATP doesn't get its feelings hurt when it phosphorylates and becomes ADP. Lysosomes aren't homicidal killers of proteins. These molecular components don't have feelings or motivations, which a story implies.

So what's your opinion? Is it worth learning information in a story format helpful for memory retention? Or harmful because of the associated assumptions?