Action films, adventures, comedy, thrillers, documentaries… What type of film genre do you prefer? Movies are an interesting phenomenon for psychologists and, according to a new study led by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the choice of favorite genre reveals a lot about how the brain works.
The study compared data on film preferences with recordings of the brain activity of approximately 260 people and the results showed that fans of action films and comedies reacted very intensely to negative emotional stimuli, while those who preferred documentaries, movies crime or thriller films had a significantly weaker reaction.
“Movies are fascinating because they not only represent all human emotions, but also evoke them. “Negative emotions, such as anger or fear, play a central role in many films,” explains Esther Zwiky, psychologist at MLU. Until recently, relatively little was known about the connection between movie preferences and the processing of negative emotions in the brain.
Brain activity depending on the chosen movie
The researchers explored this relationship in detail, analyzing data from 257 people. As part of a larger study, participants also provided information about their movie preferences. Additionally, the participants’ brain activity was analyzed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During the test, faces expressing fear or anger and geometric shapes were shown while the subjects were in the MRI machine.
“With this test established, we can measure how the brain processes emotional stimuli,” says Zwiky. The researchers focused on two areas of the brain: the amygdala, which is responsible for processing vital emotions, and the nucleus accumbens, known as the brain’s reward center. Their findings have been published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
Fans of thrillers, crime films or documentaries showed a significantly lower brain reaction to emotional stimuli
The results were surprising: “We found that action movie fans showed the strongest reactions in both areas. We didn’t expect this, since action movies usually provide a lot of stimuli, so it would have made more sense for fans of this genre were less easy to stimulate,” says Zwiky.
However, the results suggest that action movie fans are particularly sensitive to emotional stimuli and find this stimulation attractive. Similar brain activity was observed in people who prefer comedies. However, fans of thrillers, crime films or documentaries showed a significantly lower brain reaction to emotional stimuli compared to the other groups of participants. “It seems that people choose the film genres that stimulate their brain in the optimal way,” Zwiky concludes.
