Researchers say fans of apocalyptic movies better prepared for coronavirus pandemic – Republic World – Republic World

People exposed to apocalyptic and horror movies are better prepared for dealing with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a study said. The research paper, which has studied the impact of such films on individuals dealing with an end-of-the-world scenario, is currently under review by the journal Social Psychology and Personality Science.

The small team of researchers from the University of Chicago, Pennsylvania State University, and Aarhus University conducted the study on 310 individuals to test the preparedness and psychological resilience towards the pandemic. The study found that fans of horror films exhibited greater resilience during the pandemic while fans of alien-invasion, apocalyptic, and zombie films exhibited both greater resilience and preparedness.

We also found that trait morbid curiosity was associated with positive resilience and interest in pandemic films during the pandemic, said the researchers in the abstract of the study uploaded on a preprint server.

The study, authored by Coltan Scrivner, John Johnson, Jens Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, and Mathias Clasen, said that most people do not go into a scary movie with the intention of learning something bit scary stories present ample learning opportunities. Such stories allow the audience to explore the dynamics of an imagined version of the world at very little cost, making stories particularly good vectors for learning about threats, the authors claimed.

Through stories, people can learn how to escape dangerous predators, navigate novel social situations, and explore methods for surviving a catastrophe, the research paper read.

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The study showed that watching films that deal specifically with the social upheaval that might occur during a pandemic was associated with greater preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors argued that one reason that horror use may correlate with less psychological distress is that horror fiction allows its audience to practice grappling with negative emotions in a safe setting

These results are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to frightening fictions allow audiences to practice effective coping strategies that can be beneficial in real-world situations, the study concluded.

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Researchers say fans of apocalyptic movies better prepared for coronavirus pandemic - Republic World - Republic World

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