14 DAY TRIAL // Investigators at the Ohio State University (OSU) believe they may have found the reason why many people appear to enjoy watching tragic or dramatic movies and plays. Apparently, seeing others in misery, even if it's all a game of pretend, makes individuals more likely to appreciate what they have.
Seeing sad stories activates a series of emotional connections that allows viewers to see their lives and their relationships with others in a new light. In turn, this helps boost their level of happiness.
What this study therefore suggests is that people do not become happier after exposure to such movies and plays because of some sadistic pleasure to see others in pain, but because it makes them reevaluate their own lives.
Oftentimes, when analyzed under the magnifying lens, many of our so-called current problems turn out to be nothing more than minor nuisances. However, some individuals need a small push to be reminded of this, and sad performances may represent one type of such a push.
This result may seem a bit counterintuitive at first, but OSU researchers say that the connection in fact makes a lot of sense. By comparison, the positive aspects of one's life spring to mind while seeing a sad or dramatic movie or theater representation.
“Tragic stories often focus on themes of eternal love, and this leads viewers to think about their loved ones and count their blessings,” says the lead author of the study, Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, PhD.
She adds that this research is one of the first ever conducted on establishing the scientific reason for why people enjoy experiences that make them sad. During the investigation, volunteers were asked to think about their loved ones, while watching the 2007 drama “Atonement.”
The movie is bittersweet throughout, but has an especially sad ending. Those who were asked to think about their own relationships while watching this film experienced a significant increase in life happiness at the end of the study, PsychCentral reports.
Interestingly, the same effect was not observed in test subjects who were asked to think self-centric thoughts, such as for instance “My life isn’t as bad as the characters in this movie.” The study was conducted on 361 college students.
“Negative emotions, like sadness, make you think more critically about your situation. So seeing a tragic movie about star-crossed lovers may make you sad, but that will cause you to think more about your own close relationships and appreciate them more,” Knobloch-Westerwick concludes.