Why do people often recount miraculous survival stories, and what impact do these tales have on the listeners?

What situations is it best not to get involved between two strangers, such as in those stupid social experiments where strangers are bothered with nonsense by people in distress?
If we want to discover at least one non-extinct, non-human species that possesses a similar, equal, or greater intelligence compared to humankind, should we look within or outside of the Earth?