Your movie preference may not be a personal choice after all – it could be hardwired in your brain.
Scientist found that people have a go-to genre because it activates enjoyable emotions in the complex organ that keeps them coming back for more.
They discovered that people who like comedy and action had more activity in the region linked to excitement and reward compared to people who favored thriller and documentary.
However, the latter group had increased activity in attention networks and sensory areas, suggesting they get gratification from intellectual stimulation.
Your movie preference may not be a personal choice after all – it could be hardwired in your brain. Scientist found that people have a go-to genre because it activates enjoyable emotions in the complex organ
Multiple scientific studies have investigated the personality traits associated with different film genres, but the new research conducted by German scientists was the first to look at if the preference is linked to the brain.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, included 257 participants – 129 men and 128 women.
To assess movie preferences and media consumption, participants were asked to select their two favorite genres out of eight options: action, crime/thriller, horror, drama, romance, comedy, documentary and science-fiction/fantasy.
The two most popular combinations were comedy/action and thriller/documentary.
Each person was then shown images of fearful and angry faces while wearing electrodes that monitored their brain activity.
The electrodes monitored the amygdala, the brain’s major processing center for emotions, linking our emotions to many other brain abilities, especially memories, learning and your senses.
Participants who preferred action/comedy films showed increased activity in the amygdala and heightened activity in another region that is critical for motivated behavior when viewing negative emotional stimuli.
The researchers suggested that was because they get enjoyment from the intense emotions the genres often evoke.
Scientists found that people who like comedy and action (right) had more activity in the region linked to excitement and reward compared to people who favored thriller and documentary (left)
The team also found that comedies activate reward pathways in response to emotional stimuli in which the person appreciates the genre’s engagement.
While action movie fans get their adventurous fill from the high-stakes and emotional experiences.
Thriller/documentary fans exhibited reduced limbic system activity, indicating a lower emotional response to fear and anger.
The limbic system is a small group of structures in your brain that regulate emotions, behavior, motivation and memory.
The lower emotional reactivity suggested the group feels reward from cognitive engagement, rather than emotional arousal.
The findings also suggested that crime/thriller enthusiasts may find more satisfaction in solving mysteries or navigating suspense.
And documentary fans are less focused on triggering strong emotions, but may prefer intellectual stimulation over emotional experiences, the team suggested.
‘Rather than ‘one size fits all,’ the findings suggest that movie viewers form preferences aligned with their neuronal proneness to react to and approach certain cinematic stimuli,’ the researchers shared in the study.
