Movie Genre Preferences + Associated Neurotransmitters/Hormones

[Lokzo]

Hey all,

I am trying to understand why some people are so attracted to HIGH suspense, thriller movies, where it is difficult to see where the movie will take you.

What might be a stereotypical neurotransmitter deficiencies associated with this? Dopamine?

What about people that lack oxytocin, do they like romantic movies?

What about those with HIGH Serotonin, what sort of movie would they enjoy?

Would documentary fanatics tend to be on the high acetylcholine side?

Would love to hear what you all think.

 

[lampofred]

What follows is extreme stereotyping & reductionist guessing but here goes:

High dopamine, low GABA (high estrogen, adrenaline) = horror movies
High serotonin, high GABA = comedy movies
High serotonin, low GABA = probably a bit mentally ill and not too interested in movies at the moment
High dopamine, high GABA = probably not interested in movies, will watch anything that people around them are watching just to socialize
High acetylcholine (Type A, self-controlled personality) = probably want to watch movies but force themselves to not waste time on non-productive activities

 

[Luann]

Good question, although some are conscious choices about what you want to allow into your heart

 

[nbznj]

Considering that I’m only interested in the potential adaptation of the Silmarillion by amazon and pretty much nothing else barring transsexual group sex, my serotonin must be quite high and GABA not high enough. Dopamine and acetylcholine don’t feel low for sure :)

 

[milkboi]

What follows is extreme stereotyping & reductionist guessing but here goes:

High dopamine, low GABA (high estrogen, adrenaline) = horror movies
High serotonin, high GABA = comedy movies
High serotonin, low GABA = probably a bit mentally ill and not too interested in movies at the moment
High dopamine, high GABA = probably not interested in movies, will watch anything that people around them are watching just to socialize
High acetylcholine (Type A, self-controlled personality) = probably want to watch movies but force themselves to not waste time on non-productive activities

High acetylcholine -> Type A?

 

[lampofred]

High acetylcholine -> Type A?

I thought it was but I'm not 100% sure. I heard high serotonin & acetylcholine are associated with type A inability to relax but also with learned helplessness, but I don't really understand how to reconcile the two. Guess that's the danger with reductionist thinking lol.

 

[LUH 3417]

What would avant- garde be

 

[cyclops]

I think you're really trying to fit everyone into a box based on this small set of parameters you laid out. I'm sure you can have two people that have similar hormones/neurotransmitters and like completely different movies. People and their personalities are much more complex than this. We all have uniques histories, personal stories, fears, dreams, souls, personalities, unique likes and dislikes, culture, individual tastes, etc. Theres more than just hormones involved in what movie genres a person is going to like. Not saying hormones are not involved, but I think human beings are way more complex than this - this may be an unpopular opinion here.

 

[LUH 3417]

I think you're really trying to fit everyone into a box based on this small set of parameters you laid out. I'm sure you can have two people that have similar hormones/neurotransmitters and like completely different movies. People and their personalities are much more complex than this. We all have uniques histories, personal stories, fears, dreams, souls, personalities, unique likes and dislikes, culture, individual tastes, etc. Theres more than just hormones involved in what movie genres a person is going to like. Not saying hormones are not involved, but I think human beings are way more complex than this - this may be an unpopular opinion here.

I think you are exactly right. I appreciate these kinds of posts though because they are like biological analogies which are just interesting talking points.

 

[lampofred]

What would avant- garde be

I would guess it's high dopamine, low GABA. I think it's similar to horror movies, it's sensation-seeking, except horror movies takes the physical direction, avant garde goes for mental novelty

Or maybe a bit of high serotonin, low GABA, the serotonin pushing it towards the mental as opposed to physical side... Either way I'd guess low GABA is involved. Just lots of mental activity in general.

 

[lampofred]

I think you're really trying to fit everyone into a box based on this small set of parameters you laid out. I'm sure you can have two people that have similar hormones/neurotransmitters and like completely different movies. People and their personalities are much more complex than this. We all have uniques histories, personal stories, fears, dreams, souls, personalities, unique likes and dislikes, culture, individual tastes, etc. Theres more than just hormones involved in what movie genres a person is going to like. Not saying hormones are not involved, but I think human beings are way more complex than this - this may be an unpopular opinion here.

Yeah haha I prefaced what I said with a warning that it's "extreme stereotyping and reductionist guessing"

 

[Runenight201]

What about Myers-brigg personality type affecting movie preferences? Or do our hormones shape our personality as well?

Could I extend the conversation to music? While certainly, the environment we are surrounded in shape our musical preferences, some people are more drawn to the aggressive, fast tempo music and others towards slower, poetic music. I notice that my preference changes depending on how doped up I am. The higher the dopamine the more I want rock, reggaeton, and hip hop, and the lower it goes the more I want indie jams.

 

[gaze]

i’m INTP, always had high seratonin, also always got easy As in class without studying and was quite ADD

My favorite is war movies, hero movies, and sci fi movies like interstellar.. I always day dreamed about myself in heroic situations even though I would get nervous as hell in a real one and run from any situation similar to my imagination.

Favorite music was always house music like avicii, eminem type music, and some rock like pearl jam, creed, breaking benjamin, coldplay

 

[JamesGatz]

Bump - I don't have much to add except for my experience:

When my health was in bad shape I preferred watching a lot of comedy movies - Jack Black/James Franco/Danny McBride type stuff - It was at this time where I didn't like watching thriller or horror movies - always seemed like too much at the time

I associate myself with high-serotonin - maybe high-estrogen at the time too - my health was in shambles

Since Peating I don't really crave watching movies much but when I do it has to be an interesting movie - I enjoy the following:

Gladiator, The Prestige, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining, Signs, The Village, The Machinist, American Psycho -

Chris Nolan/Kubrick/M Night Shyamalan type stuff - stuff that doesn't follow a typical storyline - original ideas.

Horror movies I find a bit boring but to be fair most horror movies are just horrendously bad


I am not sure what I would consider my hormonal profile exactly - the only people that I talk to that I tend to get along with in public is people that smoke cigarettes oddly enough - especially women that smoke cigarettes - I notice a woman gets very thicc and low-serotonin when smoking cigarettes and our conversations just click - I think cigarettes are androgenic for the most part.

This scene from the Machinist (Ivan) I think is an accurate representation of my personality - Interestingly enough he's smoking cigarettes throughout the whole movie but I don't smoke at all -


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxfVK3KMQ_w&t=14s&ab_channel=kinobscura



I think I would consider myself low-serotonin/high-androgenic possibly ? This is a great thread im interested in hearing from more people

 

[Kayaker]

Since Peating I don't really crave watching movies much but when I do it has to be an interesting movie

Watching and not being able to do anything sucks. I prefer to read rather than listen to audio or watch videos as well. Having to wait past the insignificant or not entertaining parts makes it not worth it.

I also don't have the patience to listen to bands I've never listened to, since they usually don't click, and the music I listen to suffices whenever I feel like listening to music.

I don't watch movies anymore either. I don't have faith in anything that strikes me well coming out (similar to music). When I did watch them, I liked movies full of symbolism, meaning, and bittersweet.

Also, movies often cater to normies. What a happily ever after scenario is according to them. Which doesn't suit me, so comedies can make me cringe, horrors can make me laugh, and romance makes me cringe with cynicism.

I often dislike "good" characters for being good without explanation. Lone wolves and outcasts are rarely the stars of the show despite a large percentage of interesting or intelligent people ending up as outcasts in real life.

Boring good guys and boring bad guys are both lame. But usually, it's good guys who are generic to be relatable and the plot would not exist without the villain, which makes the villain by definition not boring if the movie itself isn't boring.