The Evolution of Entertainment: A Historical and Psychological Perspective

1. Chapter 20 Media Entertainment Effects

2. A Brief History of Entertainment • Entertainment has been common among cultures throughout the world and throughout the ages. • Merriment and fun were considered sinful by religious extremists. • Michel de Montaigne and Sigmund Freud are responsible for the modern view of entertainment.

3. Methods of Research • Uses and gratifications • Helpful in providing researchers with indications about people’s likes and dislikes and their perceptions and interpretations of their motives for selecting particular media fare • Behavioral research • Designed to explore the factors that determine enlightenment and enjoyment in entertaining media fare

4. Selective Exposure • Assumes that people make entertainment choices based on personal preferences and needs

5. Entertainment Choices • Usually impulsive • Determined by a person’s mood • Satisfy different needs • Excitement • Relaxation • Based on affective or emotional state of being

6. Entertainment Choices (Cont’d) • People in a bad mood might choose an absorbing program to help forget about the bad mood. • When in a highly agitated emotional state, people tend to avoid entertainment. • People often consume humor and comedy to be in a better mood or stay in a good mood. • People tend to select programs that will relieve their discomfort.

7. Enjoyment of Entertainment • Entertainment is an effective and acceptable means of relief from discontent and the unavoidable stress of daily life. • Some forms of entertainment are more enjoyable than others. • Based on individual preference

8. Drama • “a state, situation, or series of events involving intense conflict of forces” • Elements in a good dramatic program: • Conflict • Interesting characters • Satisfying resolution • Disposition model • Bryant and Zillmann (1994)

9. Humor • Comedy is a form of drama. • Humor • Helps persuade people • Lowers their guard while watching a commercial • Makes them have a positive disposition toward the message source • Laughing is contagious.

10. Sports • Fans tend to treat their favorite teams and players as beloved heroes. • In a study, fans who saw their favorite team win had personal self-esteem and personal confidence raised. • Dispositional factors at work • The effects of social interactions on the enjoyment of sporting events are unclear.

11. Suspense • Emotional response to a narrative or parts of a narrative in which audience members are unsure of a final outcome. • The stimulation that suspense thrillers provide is the key to their popularity. • Empathy theory (Zillmann, 1996) • Explains why audiences of suspense become emotionally or psychologically involved

12. Horror • Men enjoy horror more when they are in the company of a terrified female. • Women are more likely to enjoy horror if they watch it with a male who exhibits mastery.

13. Recent Research and Future Trends • Technological advances promise to bring more leisure time and more opportunities for entertainment. • Researchers have begun to study the effects of entertainment through many different types of media.