Surfing uncertainty with screams: Predictive processing, error dynamics and horror films

Mark Miller; Ben White; Coltan Scrivner

doi:10.1098/rstb.2022.0425

Surfing uncertainty with screams: Predictive processing, error dynamics and horror films

Mark Miller^*, Ben White, Coltan Scrivner

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Institut for Kommunikation og Kultur - Engelsk

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

3 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite tremendous efforts in psychology, neuroscience and media and cultural studies, it is still something of a mystery why humans are attracted to fictional content that is horrifying, disgusting or otherwise aversive. While the psychological benefits of horror films, stories, video games, etc. has recently been demonstrated empirically, current theories emphasizing the negative and positive consequences of this engagement often contradict one another. Here, we suggest the predictive processing framework may provide a unifying account of horror content engagement that provides clear and testable hypotheses, and explains why a 'sweet spot' of fear and fun exists in horror entertainment. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives'.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Artikelnummer	20220425
Tidsskrift	Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Vol/bind	379
Nummer	1895
ISSN	0962-8436
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2022.0425
Status	Udgivet - jan. 2024

Adgang til dokumentet

10.1098/rstb.2022.0425Licens: CC BY

Citationsformater

@article{81c48a5a1a3f492cb7ae1e965b183079,

title = "Surfing uncertainty with screams: Predictive processing, error dynamics and horror films",

abstract = "Despite tremendous efforts in psychology, neuroscience and media and cultural studies, it is still something of a mystery why humans are attracted to fictional content that is horrifying, disgusting or otherwise aversive. While the psychological benefits of horror films, stories, video games, etc. has recently been demonstrated empirically, current theories emphasizing the negative and positive consequences of this engagement often contradict one another. Here, we suggest the predictive processing framework may provide a unifying account of horror content engagement that provides clear and testable hypotheses, and explains why a 'sweet spot' of fear and fun exists in horror entertainment. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives'.",

keywords = "emotion regulation, horror, predictive processing, valence",

author = "Mark Miller and Ben White and Coltan Scrivner",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors.",

year = "2024",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1098/rstb.2022.0425",

language = "English",

volume = "379",

journal = "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences",

issn = "0962-8436",

publisher = "Royal Society Publishing",

number = "1895",

}

Surfing uncertainty with screams: Predictive processing, error dynamics and horror films. / Miller, Mark; White, Ben; Scrivner, Coltan.
I: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Bind 379, Nr. 1895, 20220425, 01.2024.

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Surfing uncertainty with screams

T2 - Predictive processing, error dynamics and horror films

AU - Miller, Mark

AU - White, Ben

AU - Scrivner, Coltan

PY - 2024/1

Y1 - 2024/1

N2 - Despite tremendous efforts in psychology, neuroscience and media and cultural studies, it is still something of a mystery why humans are attracted to fictional content that is horrifying, disgusting or otherwise aversive. While the psychological benefits of horror films, stories, video games, etc. has recently been demonstrated empirically, current theories emphasizing the negative and positive consequences of this engagement often contradict one another. Here, we suggest the predictive processing framework may provide a unifying account of horror content engagement that provides clear and testable hypotheses, and explains why a 'sweet spot' of fear and fun exists in horror entertainment. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives'.

AB - Despite tremendous efforts in psychology, neuroscience and media and cultural studies, it is still something of a mystery why humans are attracted to fictional content that is horrifying, disgusting or otherwise aversive. While the psychological benefits of horror films, stories, video games, etc. has recently been demonstrated empirically, current theories emphasizing the negative and positive consequences of this engagement often contradict one another. Here, we suggest the predictive processing framework may provide a unifying account of horror content engagement that provides clear and testable hypotheses, and explains why a 'sweet spot' of fear and fun exists in horror entertainment. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives'.

KW - emotion regulation

KW - horror

KW - predictive processing

KW - valence

U2 - 10.1098/rstb.2022.0425

DO - 10.1098/rstb.2022.0425

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38104602

AN - SCOPUS:85180293342

SN - 0962-8436

VL - 379

JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

IS - 1895

M1 - 20220425

ER -

Surfing uncertainty with screams: Predictive processing, error dynamics and horror films

Abstract

Adgang til dokumentet

Fingeraftryk

Citationsformater