After all, your movie preference may not be a personal choice: it could be hardwired into your brain.
A scientist discovered that people have a go-to genre because It activates pleasant 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 preferred thriller and documentary.
However, the latter group had greater activity in attention networks and sensory areas, suggesting that they derive gratification from intellectual stimulation.
After all, your movie preference may not be a personal choice: it could be hardwired into your brain. A scientist discovered that people have a preferred gender because it activates pleasant emotions in the complex organ.
Multiple scientific studies have investigated personality traits associated with different film genres, but new research by German scientists was the first to look at whether the preference is related to the brain.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in behavioral neuroscienceincluded 257 participants: 129 men and 128 women.
To assess film preferences and media consumption, participants were asked to select their two favorite genres from 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 main emotion processing center, linking our emotions to many other brain abilities, especially memories, learning, and the senses.
Participants who preferred action/comedy movies showed greater activity in the amygdala and greater activity in another region that is critical for motivated behavior when viewing negative emotional stimuli.
The researchers suggested that this is because they enjoy the intense emotions that the genres often evoke.
The scientists found that people who like comedy and action (right) had more activity in the region related to emotion and reward compared to people who preferred thriller and documentary (left).
The team also discovered that comedies activate reward pathways in response to emotional stimuli in which the person appreciates the participation of the genre.
While action movie fans get their fill of adventures with emotional and high-risk experiences.
Fans of thrillers and documentaries exhibited reduced limbic system activity, indicating a lower emotional response to fear and anger.
The limbic system is a small group of structures in the brain that regulate emotions, behavior, motivation, and memory.
The lower emotional reactivity suggested that the group feels a reward from cognitive engagement, rather than emotional arousal.
The findings also suggested that crime and thriller enthusiasts may find more satisfaction solving mysteries or navigating suspense.
And documentary fans are less focused on triggering strong emotions, but may prefer intellectual stimulation to emotional experiences, the team suggested.
“Rather than ‘one size fits all,’ the findings suggest that movie viewers form preferences aligned with their neural propensity to react to and approach certain cinematic stimuli,” the researchers shared in the study.