When many people think of their favorite movie, they might think of a Disney film or a classic comedy. I always go back to “Pitch Perfect” at least a few times a year, and, as a general rule, I rewatch “Harry Potter” over summer break. However, a popular trend I have seen all over social media lately is people saying, “Girls be like, this is my comfort movie and it’s literally (insert horror film here).” I believe one of the main reasons this trend gained a lot of traction was because of the underlying truth behind it. I have girlfriends who are genuine fans of horror movies and would actually watch a horror movie as their comfort film. While I will never understand the appeal behind horror movies, this trend is something that many people can identify with, particularly fans of horror novelist Steven King and the film adaptations of his works.
This trend might reveal something deeper. We all have different reasons for liking certain movies over others. Some are as simple as “I do not like horror movies because I do not want to have nightmares” or “I do not like rom-coms because they are usually cheesy” (at least, these are my reasons). However, it is worth noting that one’s favorite movies might say something about them on a psychological level.Â
An article published by Psychology Today in 2024 discusses a potential psychological reason for people’s preferences for certain movies. The article itself analyzes a study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. The researchers in this study analyzed 257 fans of different film genres. The participants were shown images of anger and fear while the researchers scanned their brains using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine.Â
The researchers noticed that fans of different genres showed sharp contrasts in brain activity. For fans of both action and comedy movies, the amygdala (the fear center of the brain) was highly stimulated while being shown these images of negative emotions. However, the researchers also realized that this amygdala stimulation felt rewarding to these fans, as they saw increased activity within the nucleus accumbens, which is the brain’s reward center. Fans of documentaries and thrillers, however, did not react as strongly to being shown the negative emotions.
According to the researchers, the reason behind this has to do with how emotions are displayed in various genres. In action movies, the emotions of the hero are at the center of the plot and contribute more to the experience of the film. This is also true for comedies. While character emotions are also important to the plots of thrillers, the mystery and intrigue central to the plot are what draw the viewer in, rather than the specific experience of the main character. This effect is similar to how the intellect is stimulated during documentaries.
As an avid fan of both action and comedy, this article definitely explained the reason behind my instinct to search for these genres whenever I look for a new movie or show to watch. Our reasons for liking certain movies or genres can be unconscious, even out of our control. So, while we may think we are choosing a movie for fun, it could be our brain telling us exactly what we want before we even press play.