AP11817

Movies with gory, disgusting scenes more likely to capture, engage audience

Everyone has seen a scary movie, or has seen a scene from a movie that was disturbing but you just could not look away. After the climax of the disgusting scene, you are more engaged than ever. Recent research published in the //Journal of Communication// found that people exposed to core disgusts (blood, guts, body products) showed higher levels of attention the more disgusting the content grew even though they had negative reactions to the content (International Communication Association). Bridget Rubenking and Annie Lang did tests on participants measuring each individuals heart rate, facial expressions, and skin moisture.The findings suggested that socio-moral disgust-eliciting content elicited a slower response, characterized by one of initial attention and increasing negativity and arousal, and was remembered better before, at and after the onset of disgust (International Communication Association). Once the scene is over, heart rate decreases, and the viewer becomes more aware of the content. The participants that were being tested actually paid more attention as the content grew more gruesome. "We often choose to view entertainment media to simply make ourselves feel good, and we also likely often choose entertainment media that will provide meaning, fulfillment and spark introspection. Despite whatever motives encouraged the decision to watch or not watch, this study demonstrates that when we're watching entertainment content that introduces specific types of disgust, our bodies react as being disgusted, and we can articulate that we are disgusted by the content" (Rubenking). Therefore, it easier to recollect the gory, more horrid scenes in a movie than it is to see any other kind of scene.

References:

International Communication Association. "Movies with gory, disgusting scenes more likely to capture, engage audience." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 June 2014. .

Bridget Rubenking, Annie Lang. **Captivated and Grossed Out: An Examination of Processing Core and Sociomoral Disgusts in Entertainment Media**. //Journal of Communication//, 2014; 64 (3): 543 DOI: 10.1111/jcom.12094

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