In the horror subgenre we know as zombie movies, you might find a ring of the ongoing pandemic. From the pioneering Night of the Living Dead (1968) to the recent South Korean production Train to Busan (2016), zombies infect ordinary people and turn them into zombies, and, just like it is happening in Covid-19, the uninfected around them live in panic, trying to stay safe.
It turns out that the connection may be deeper than just a resemblance between fiction and fact. If you like horror, particularly zombie films, watching them may have prepared you better for the Covid-19 pandemic. Thats the conclusion drawn by researchers who have published their findings in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
Why zombies?
The study actually covered horror fans in general, as well as morbidly curious individuals. The horror fans were people who watched any kind of apocalyptic films zombie movies, post-apocalyptic movies, and alien-invasion movies.
However, I think zombie movies in particular bear resemblance literally and symbolically to the pandemic, said Coltan Scrivner, a University of Chicago PhD student who researches the psychology of horror, and who led the new study. His colleagues were Pennsylvania State University psychologist and professor emeritus John Johnson, and Danish horror experts Mathias Clausen and Jens Kjeldgaard-Christiansen.
Zombie outbreaks almost by definition are pandemics, Scrivner told The Indian Express, by email. The cause is almost always some sort of infection. Characters in zombie films learn how to avoid getting infected and often try to find a cure for the infection. In addition, they learn what the world looks like when society begins to break down or no longer functions as normal. Although exaggerated in the films, this resembles a real-world pandemic in some ways.
But how does watching such films help?
* The information we obtain from an imagined zombie apocalypse, the study suggests, may serve us in analogous situations in the real world. They [zombie film fans] reported feeling like they knew what to buy for the pandemic and that the consequences of the pandemic did not take them by surprise, Scrivner said.
* Fans of horror films were found to exhibit less psychological distress during Covid-19: The study describes them as more psychologically resilient. In addition to learning how to navigate dangerous situations through simulations, people may also learn to navigate their own emotions Presumably, frequent users of horror media often employ emotion regulation strategies, which may lead to improved emotional coping skills, it says.
How does the study draw these conclusions?
It surveyed over 300 participants, who answered a variety of questions. First, they completed a Pandemic Psychological Resilience Scale created by the researchers to determine whether they were showing positive resilience or in psychological distress. Participants also completed a Morbid Curiosity Scale. A third scale was the Big 5 that measures dimensions of personality including neuroticism, agreeableness, extraversion, openness to experience, and conscientiousness. Finally, participants rated how much of a fan they were of several different genres of movies, such as horror, romance, comedy, zombie films, etc.
Using these questions, we were about to find that, controlling for the Big 5 personality traits, horror fans and morbidly curious people were more psychologically resilient during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in the US. We also found that fans of prepper genres the zombie, apocalyptic, and alien-invasion films reported being more prepared for the pandemic.
For resilience against the Covid-19 pandemic, it may be too late. But according to Johnson, the psychologist who collaborated on the study, it is never too late to make ready for the next hurdle in life.
Im not sure that watching such movies now would be helpful for our current situation. However, my understanding of pandemics and other life-challenging events is that similar future challenges are absolutely inevitable, Johnson said in comments published on the Pennsylvania State University website.
Both Johnson and Scrivner believe that fiction is not just an idle pastime but a way to imagine simulated realities that prepare us for future challenges. Scrivner told The Indian Express: Horror in particular offers a way to safely experience dangerous environments and dangerous social interactions. This lets people do two things:
* People can practise being afraid or being anxious and learning how to overcome that feeling. This likely can lead to better emotion regulation skills and, ultimately, better psychological resilience.
* People can also learn some specific information. For example, people who watched pandemic-themed movies like Contagion may have learned what a real pandemic could look like. This could allow people to be better prepared for when a real pandemic like Covid-19 occurs.
Contagion (2011) is about a deadly flu-like infection that spreads in the US. Although a decade old now, it became one of Americas most streamed films in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the study notes.
See the rest here:
Explained: How zombie films may have prepared fans for Covid-19 pandemic - The Indian Express
- Indias zombie home fund set to deliver thousands of apartments - The Real Deal - February 20th, 2021
- Zombie infection threat as country unlocks 50,000-year-old viruses - Yahoo News Australia - February 20th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie rises from his grave this March for PC via Steam - PC Invasion - February 20th, 2021
- Zombie Hit Train To Busan Is Getting A US Remake - GameSpot - February 20th, 2021
- Rob Zombie says the meat industrys future is unsustainable - NME.com - February 20th, 2021
- Stubbs The Zombie In Rebel Without A Pulse - Yahoo Entertainment - February 20th, 2021
- Batista Wanted To Play A Zombie On The Walking Dead, Rejected For Being "Too Big" - Fightful - February 20th, 2021
- Dave Bautista told he was too big to play zombie on The Walking Dead - NME - February 17th, 2021
- Dave Bautista Offered To Play A Zombie For Free On The Walking Dead - Screen Rant - February 17th, 2021
- Is plurilateralism making the WTO an institutional zombie? - East Asia Forum - February 17th, 2021
- REVIEW: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Vol. 1 is a Comedic Zombie Apocalypse - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 17th, 2021
- Don't Eat Pete is a zombie survival game that's available now for Android in Early Access - Pocket Gamer - February 17th, 2021
- Call of Duty Warzone seems to be teasing Zombies - Gamesradar - February 17th, 2021
- James Gunn Weighs In On Whether Zombies Or Vampires Are More Dangerous - Looper - February 17th, 2021
- The Walking Dead back on the march - Stuff.co.nz - February 17th, 2021
- The Walking Dead Turned Dave Bautista Down for a Zombie Role - Superherohype.com - February 16th, 2021
- Army of the Dead Image Teases Zombie Heist Movie - /FILM - February 16th, 2021
- The Real Life Diet of Rob Zombie, Who Thinks Eating Vegan Is Metal - British GQ - February 16th, 2021
- Rob Zombie says veganism is about 'fighting the establishment' - Vegan Food and Living - February 16th, 2021
- The Next Generation of Marvel Zombies Is Already in the Marvel Universe - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 16th, 2021
- It Looks Like Zombies Are Coming To Warzone Season 2 | TheGamer - TheGamer - February 16th, 2021
- ROB ZOMBIE Explains Why He Went Vegan "It Is Anti-Establishment" - Metal Injection - February 14th, 2021
- Zombie Baseballs and MLBs Home Run Problem - The Wall Street Journal - February 14th, 2021
- Rob Zombie Thinks Eating Vegan Is Metal - GQ - February 14th, 2021
- This is what the DoD has planned for a zombie apocalypse - We Are The Mighty - February 14th, 2021
- 3 Cookbooks and guides to teach you how to survive during the eventual zombie apocalypse - Undead Walking - February 14th, 2021
- Call Of Duty Zombies: All Zombies Crews, Ranked - TheGamer - February 14th, 2021
- Tesla : Which is the best EV to own to survive a zombie apocalypse? - marketscreener.com - February 14th, 2021
- Here's How You Can Watch Every Season Of iZombie - Looper - February 14th, 2021
- What's The 1st Thing You'd Grab If Zombies Invaded Twin Falls? - kezj.com - February 14th, 2021
- Kennedy: Banks, communities need to collaborate on zombie property upkeep - The Daily Gazette - February 10th, 2021
- Zombies Attack Bend! [With Video] - The Source Weekly - February 10th, 2021
- Ten Zombie Comedies That Won't Rot Your Braaaaaaaains - tor.com - February 10th, 2021
- These Bulletproof Vehicles Are Perfect For Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse - HotCars - February 10th, 2021
- How a Left 4 Dead Remaster Could Revive the Zombie Shooter Genre - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 10th, 2021
- Rise of Barnegat Light's Zombie Whale; It Starts With Dead Bigfoots, the Devils - The SandPaper - February 10th, 2021
- The Senate should do everything it can to avoid a zombie impeachment trial - CNN - February 9th, 2021
- 8 Video Game Zombies That Break the Traditional Mold - Bloody Disgusting - February 9th, 2021
- Zombie Reddy Four Days Box Office Collection, Teja Sajja's Film Is Ruling The Box Office. - Sakshi Post - February 9th, 2021
- Colm O'Regan: The perfect Valentine's Day gift - a zombie plan for the one you love - Irish Examiner - February 9th, 2021
- Zombie Reddy Third Day Box Office Collection, Teja Sajja's Film Passes The Weekend On A Phenomenal Note - Sakshi Post - February 9th, 2021
- How to Play the Witch Role Mod in Among Us | Screen Rant - Screen Rant - February 9th, 2021
- Reanimation and Zombies: Discussion with author Frank Swain - WLNS - February 9th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie Is Returning In a Unique Re-release From Aspyr Media - Happy Gamer - February 9th, 2021
- Author discussion to explore reanimation, zombies - The Hillsdale Daily News - February 9th, 2021
- Not Ready to Die: These 5 'zombie' cars were sold alongside their replacements - Driving - February 5th, 2021
- Zombie Reddy movie review: When the zombies attack Seema - The Hindu - February 5th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie comes back from the dead in March, achievements revealed - TrueAchievements - February 5th, 2021
- Prasanth Varma: Zombie Reddy doesnt make a joke out of zombies - The Indian Express - February 5th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie Re-Release Launching in March | Game Rant - GameRant - February 5th, 2021
- Shang-Chi Finally Found the Cure for the Newest Kind of Marvel Zombie - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 5th, 2021
- Free-Roam VR Unleashed - The Source Weekly - February 5th, 2021
- Releasing Today: Zombie Attack On Box Office.. - Greatandhra.com - February 5th, 2021
- ROB ZOMBIE's New Album Was Completed A Couple Years Ago - Metal Injection - February 5th, 2021
- Zombie nation: Third of adults walking around in concussion-like daze due to stress, lack of sleep - Study Finds - February 5th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie Achievements Listing Hints a Re-release in March - The Nerd Stash - February 5th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse Re-Release Hinted - NoobFeed - February 5th, 2021
- Splunking the Zombie Apocalypse - Security Boulevard - February 4th, 2021
- The Last of Us Meets The Division In Zombie MMO The Day Before - Screen Rant - February 4th, 2021
- Zombie-Bite Politics - The Dispatch - The Dispatch - February 4th, 2021
- World War Z & 9 More Of The Highest-Grossing Zombie Movies Of All Time - Screen Rant - February 4th, 2021
- AOC's terrifying account of the Capitol siege: 'It almost felt like a zombie movie' - CNET - February 4th, 2021
- Korean Zombie says he hit rock bottom and gained over 40 lbs after loss to Brian Ortega - Bloody Elbow - February 4th, 2021
- Varun Tej heaps praise on Teja Sajja at Zombie Reddy pre-release event - Times of India - February 4th, 2021
- Cold War Zombies: How to Upgrade The D.I.E Shockwave - Screen Rant - February 4th, 2021
- ROB ZOMBIE Releases New Single And Video 'The Eternal Struggles Of The Howling Man' | Scoop News - Scoop.co.nz - February 4th, 2021
- THE WALKING DEAD Season 10 "Ties that Bind" Trailer (2021) Zombie Horror - JoBlo.com - February 4th, 2021
- Feeding monopolies and zombies: Made in the USA: Socialism for the Rich. Capitalism for the Rest - The Times of India Blog - January 30th, 2021
- Hear Rob Zombie's Raucous New Song "The Eternal Struggles of the Howling Man" - Revolver Magazine - January 30th, 2021
- The Korean Zombie says he hit rock bottom and gained 20kgs following loss to Brian Ortega - BJPENN.COM - January 30th, 2021
- ROB ZOMBIE To Release A New Song This Friday - Metal Injection - January 30th, 2021
- The Day Before Is Basically The Division with Zombie-like Infected - Wccftech - January 30th, 2021
- USM Alumna's Novel Included on Best Fiction for Young Adults List - Southern Miss Now - January 30th, 2021
- Zombies and Neon Fury Star in Howie Lees Insane New Music Video - RADII - January 30th, 2021
- This $23 emergency radio is all you need to survive the zombie (or robot) apocalypse - CNET - January 25th, 2021
- The real zombie threat as the Arctic thaws and other climate briefs - Haaretz - January 25th, 2021
- When the zombies come, I will be ready - Rochelle News Leader - January 25th, 2021
- The information warriors fighting 'robot zombie army' of coronavirus sceptics - The Guardian - January 25th, 2021
- Tips To Survive An Infinite Number Of Rounds In Black Ops: Cold Wars Zombies Mode - TheGamer - January 25th, 2021
- Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly tease zombie film-inspired 'Acting Like That' video - NME.com - January 25th, 2021
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero