Washington, Aug 11 (ANI): We get angry with friends who reveal fictional secrets or endings of stories we have yet to read or see, because of fear that it would kill our interest in the books or movies.
But a new experimental study from the University of California, San Diego, has suggested that people who flip to the last page of a book before starting it have the better intuition.
Spoilers don't spoil stories. Contrary to popular wisdom, they actually seem to enhance enjoyment.
Even ironic-twist and mystery stories - which you'd be forgiven for assuming absolutely depend on suspense or surprise for success - aren't spoiled by spoilers, according to the study by the researchers at UC San Diego's psychology department.
In the study, subjects significantly preferred the spoiled versions of ironic-twist stories, where the twist of the story was revealed in prefatory paragraph.
The same held true for mysteries. Knowing ahead of time how the story will end didn't hurt enjoyment of the story, but actually improved it.
"Plots are just excuses for great writing. What the plot is (almost) irrelevant. The pleasure is in the writing," said Nicholas Christenfeld, professor of social psychology, giving the possible reason.
Jonathan Leavitt, a psychology doctoral student, added, "So it could be that once you know how it turns out, it's cognitively easier - you're more comfortable processing the information - and can focus on a deeper understanding of the story."
The study findings will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
