Brain research: Crime and documentary lovers tend to keep a "cool head"
Favorite films reveal how the brain processes emotions. A study reveals findings about fans of action, comedy and documentary films.
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A new study suggests that our favorite movie genres are linked to how our brains process negative emotions such as fear and anger. Fans of action movies and comedies show increased brain activity, while lovers of thrillers and documentaries tend to keep a "cool head".
Our movie preferences are more than just a matter of taste – they may also reflect how our brains deal with emotions, is a key finding of a research study led by psychologist Esther Zwiky at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany.
The researchers analyzed data from 257 participants who indicated their favorite movie genres and underwent functional MRI brain scans (fMRI) while the researchers showed them images of fearful or angry faces to evoke emotions. The team examined the activity in the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens.
Both are important brain structures for our emotional processing. The amygdala, almond-shaped and located in the temporal lobe, is central for processing strong emotions, especially fear, as well as for emotional learning and memory. The nucleus accumbens, in the basal forebrain, is a key element of the reward system. It controls motivation, pleasure and is involved in addictive behavior. Both structures work together to shape our emotional experiences and influence our behavior.
Action and comedy fans with increased emotional activity
Surprisingly, the researchers observed the strongest reactions in both brain regions in action movie fans. "We had not expected this, as action films typically convey a lot of stimuli. Therefore, it would have been obvious that action fans are not so easily stimulated," said Zwiky.
The results suggest that action lovers may be particularly attracted to emotional stimulation, the researchers suspect. Comedy fans showed a similar pattern of increased brain activity in response to the emotional faces.
Thriller and documentary fans react less to emotions
In contrast, fans of crime dramas and documentaries showed a significantly more muted response in both the amygdala and nucleus accumbens compared to other participants.
"It seems that people choose the movie genres that optimally stimulate their brain," concluded Zwiky. The results suggest that our movie preferences may serve to modulate our brain's emotional reactivity according to our natural predispositions.
Close connection between movie and brain
The work, published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, highlights the deep connection between movie genres and the underlying neurobiology and psychology.
More research is still needed to understand how exactly this brain-movie feedback loop works – and whether our movie preferences shape our brain activity or vice versa.
Overall, the study shows that different movie genres are associated with different patterns of emotion processing in the brain, which could explain why people prefer certain genres and how these preferences are related to their individual way of processing emotions.
(mack)
