Surfing Uncertainty with Screams: Predictive Processing, Error Dynamics and Horror Films

Overview

Journal Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 Dec 17

PMID 38104602

Authors

Mark Miller

Ben White

Coltan Scrivner

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Despite tremendous efforts in psychology, neuroscience and media and cultural studies, it is still something of a mystery why humans are attracted to fictional content that is horrifying, disgusting or otherwise aversive. While the psychological benefits of horror films, stories, video games, etc. has recently been demonstrated empirically, current theories emphasizing the negative and positive consequences of this engagement often contradict one another. Here, we suggest the predictive processing framework may provide a unifying account of horror content engagement that provides clear and testable hypotheses, and explains why a 'sweet spot' of fear and fun exists in horror entertainment. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectives'.

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