| ign="center"> | | | | If by chance they looked at one another at the |
| The Journal of Consumer Research published a | | | | exact same moment in time ...the researchers |
| study in 2007 suggesting that the presence of | | | | said they appeared to note whether the other |
| other people may enhance the movie-watching | | | | person's face expressed the same or different |
| experience. The researchers are the first to | | | | emotion than their own. If they perceived |
| examine how a shared experience affects our | | | | congruity - or the same expression as their own, |
| overall impressions of an experience as a whole. | | | | the participants kept their current emotional |
| Researchers observed that movie-watchers | | | | expression . . . however if they perceived |
| influence one another and gradually synchronize | | | | incongruity, or a different expression, this led to a |
| their emotional responses while watching a film | | | | dampening of subsequent expressions. |
| together. The bottom line is that mimicry of this | | | | Researchers concluded that these social effects |
| type affects each participant's evaluation of the | | | | were bi-directional, meaning that the influences |
| overall movie experience, and therefore a movie | | | | were not the result of a leader-follower pattern, |
| review will usually be in sync. | | | | but rather mutual. |
| The research was accomplished as follows. The | | | | The study was the first to look at contagious |
| researchers asked the participants in the study to | | | | emotions in a naturally developing relationship |
| watch a video clip. Some watched alone, while | | | | between two participants. |
| others watched the clip with others. There was a | | | | Source: Suresh Ramanathan and Ann L. McGill, |
| partition in between some of the paired | | | | "Consuming with Others: Social Influences on the |
| participants so their expressions could not be | | | | Moment-to-Moment and Retrospective Evaluations |
| viewed. But then there were others left with no | | | | of an Experience." Journal of Consumer Research: |
| partition, whose expressions could be seen. | | | | December 2007. |
| Joysticks were used by all to indicate their feelings | | | | Movie Review Intelligence, Inc. is the new industry |
| at each moment while viewing the clip. | | | | standard for measuring and understanding movie |
| When the participants were asked how much | | | | reviews, giving moviegoers and critics, filmmakers, |
| they liked the movie clip, each reported higher | | | | marketers, distributors, exhibitors, and publishing |
| ratings the more their assessments lined up with | | | | editors, the most accurate, picture of movie |
| the other person. Apparently when they mimicked | | | | reviews possible. The company collects reviews |
| expressions, people catch each other's moods. | | | | from more than 65 U.S. and Toronto newspapers, |
| This leads to a shared emotional experience. In | | | | magazines, alternative weeklies, NPR and 'At the |
| the end, that feels good to people, so they | | | | Movies.' Visit: |
| attribute that good feeling to the quality of the | | | | Report this article |
| movie. | | | | This article is free for republishing |
| Researchers determined that those people | | | | Source: |
| watching who watched the film clip together | | | | Republish this article |
| appeared to evaluate the film within the same | | | | |
| broad mood - either tracking up or down. But in a | | | | Ask a Question About this Article |
| different study, the researchers videotaped the | | | | >> BEST way to watch Live TV on your |
| participants and found that people adopt the | | | | computer?â |
| observed expressions of others - the synchrony | | | | >> Old Movie Information |
| of their evaluations can be traced to the fact that | | | | >> Looking for any old movie contacts |
| they glanced at the other person while they | | | | >> Is there any legitimate work at home? |
| watched the movie clip. | | | | |