A new study shows that our favorite movie genres are linked to how our brain processes negative emotions like fear and anger. Fans of action movies and comedies have been shown to have increased brain activity, while lovers of crime movies and documentaries are more likely to keep a “cool mind.”
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Our movie preferences are more than just a matter of taste – they may also reflect how our brain deals with emotions The central conclusion of a research paper Under the direction of psychologist Esther Zwicky at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany.
The researchers analyzed data from 257 participants who reported their favorite movie genres and underwent functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans while researchers showed them images of fearful or angry faces to evoke emotions. The team examined activity in the amygdala and nucleus accumbens.
Both are important brain structures for our emotional processing. The amygdala, almond-shaped and located in the temporal lobe, is central to processing strong emotions, especially fear, as well as emotional learning and memory. The nucleus accumbens, in the basal forebrain, is a key element of the reward system. It regulates motivation, pleasure and is involved in addictive behavior. Both structures work together to shape our emotional experiences and influence our behavior.
Fans of action and comedy with increased emotional activation
Surprisingly, the researchers observed the strongest responses in both brain regions of action movie fans. “We did not expect this, because action movies generally provide a lot of stimulation. So, it is clear that action fans are not so easily aroused,” Zwicky said.
The researchers suggest that the results suggest that action lovers may be particularly attracted to emotional stimuli. Comedy fans showed a similar pattern of increased brain activity in response to emotional faces.
Crime and documentary fans react less to emotions
In contrast, crime and documentary fans displayed significantly greater silent responses in both the amygdala and nucleus accumbens than the other participants.
Zwicky concluded, “It seems that people choose the movie genres that best stimulate their brains.” The results suggest that our movie preferences may serve to regulate our brain’s emotional response according to our natural biases.
The close connection between film and the brain
WorkThe study, published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, sheds light on the deep connection between film genres and underlying neurobiology and psychology.
More research is still needed to understand how this brain-movie feedback loop actually works – and whether our movie preferences shape our brain activity or vice versa.
Overall, the study shows that different film genres are associated with different patterns of emotion processing in the brain, which may explain why people prefer certain genres and how these preferences relate to their individual way of processing emotions.
(Mac)
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