Study Finds Film Enjoyment Is Contagious

Study Finds Film Enjoyment Is Contagious:"Hugh Pickens writes "A report from Science Daily says that scientists have proven that the presence of other people may enhance our movie-watching experiences by influencing and gradually synchronizing viewer emotional responses. This mutual mimicry also affects each participant's evaluation of the overall experience — the more in sync we are with the people around us, the more we like the movie. In a series of experiments, researchers found that people watching a film together appeared to evaluate the film within the same broad mood and another study found that synchrony of evaluations can be traced to glances at the other person during the film and adoption of the observed expressions. 'By mimicking expressions, people catch each other's moods leading to a shared emotional experience. That feels good to people and they attribute that good feeling to the quality of the movie,' said one researcher."
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(Via Slashdot.)
Well to me this story falls in to the category of 'well duh!'
I've known this for a long time. Mainly because I used to go to the cinema mostly in a group. The five of us would go to see all of the big films together and the whole social thing really dose help make a film seem better. Sadly this doesn't seem to happen so much now. I don't live within 5 minutes walk of the local multiplex now and well it just doesn't happen now. In fact I think the last time I when to the cinema was Star Wars episode 3, so maybe that put me off as bit! :}
Anyway going in a group is good, going as a cupel with your girl friend is great. And no I don't mean in that way. I know what you where thinking, but no.
I also know this because yes, I've done it to. Yes I did for a while once have a girl friend.
Okay now that you've picked your self off the floor, yes I really did. Sadly that didn't last long, and yes it was all my fault that things didn't work out.
So yes going to the cinema with your girl friend is a wonderful experience. It makes even a weak film seem so much better. One of the films I saw with her was the x-files movie so believe me I know!
The scenes in that movie that would have normally made me flinch did make me flinch simply because my girl friend did. That shared experience made the mediocre film seem actually quite worth while. So yes seeing films in a group a good thing.
And this whole girl friend thing was some time ago (2000) and no I've not been in a couple like that since, nor have I even tired.
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