The type of movie you choose to watch may reflect your emotional changes at this time

Wang Mingyu

When watching a movie, whether it is an exciting action film, a lighthearted comedy, or a fascinating documentary, we tend to focus only on the story on the screen, but we may overlook the following problem: the type of movie you choose to watch is a reflection of how the brain processes emotional stimulation. Recently, a new study from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany revealed this interesting phenomenon.

The research team compared the movie preference data with brain activity recordings from about 260 people, and used functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze their brain activity. When the subjects lay in an MRI machine and saw fearful or angry faces, the researchers were able to detect how their brains processed these emotional stimuli.

The researchers paid special attention to two key areas in the brain, one is the amygdala and the other is the nucleus accumbens. The amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for processing important emotions, especially fear, anxiety and other emotions, which can trigger the fight or flight response to deal with threats. The nucleus accumbens is considered to be the "reward center" of the brain, playing an important role in activities such as rewards, happiness, addiction, aggression, fear, and the placebo effect. It is one of the core areas of the brain that processes pleasure and satisfaction.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that fans of action movies showed the strongest responses in both the amygdala and nucleus accumbens, which seems to be different from conventional cognition. Although action movies are usually full of various stimuli, the brains of fans who watch such movies are particularly sensitive to emotional stimuli and find such stimuli attractive. Similarly, similar activity patterns were found in the brains of fans who like to watch comedies. In contrast, those who like to watch documentaries have much less brain response to emotional stimuli in these two areas.

This study provides us with important clues about how the brain processes emotions. Emotions are a core component of our daily experience, affecting our thinking, decision-making and behavior. The amygdala and nucleus accumbens in the brain are like the command center for emotion processing, regulating our response to the outside world at any time.

By studying the brain activity of fans who like to watch different types of movies, researchers can explore the complex relationship between emotion and cognition in more depth. For example, why are some people more susceptible to negative emotions? Why are some people more sensitive to pleasant stimuli? The answers to these questions may be hidden in our choice of movie genres.

Brain health has been a hot topic in recent years. With the accelerated pace of life and the increase in social pressure, more and more people are beginning to pay attention to how to maintain the health and vitality of the brain. As an important part of brain health, emotional regulation plays a vital role in maintaining mental health.

Studies have shown that excessive exposure to negative emotional stimuli may have adverse effects on the brain and increase the risk of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

On the contrary, positive emotional experiences help improve the brain's cognitive function and enhance mental health. Therefore, understanding how the brain processes different types of emotional stimulation is important for us to maintain brain health and prevent mental illness. Perhaps, choosing a lighthearted comedy or an engaging documentary is a simple and effective way for us to regulate emotions and maintain mental health.

Back to the original question: Do you like action movies, comedies, or documentaries? Perhaps now you realize that your choice is not just an entertainment preference, but also a reflection of how your brain processes emotional stimuli. As an important part of culture and life, movies not only provide us with a way to entertain, but may also become a unique window for us to understand our own and others' brains.

With the continuous development of brain science, we have reason to believe that one day in the future, humans will be able to have a deeper understanding of how the brain works, better maintain brain health, and even achieve direct dialogue and communication with the brain through brain-computer interface technology.

(The author is the attending physician of the Department of Neurosurgery, the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University)