Wired
When we sit down in a movie theater and see a film for the first time, we think we know how we react to that film. In reality, we have no clue as to how our brains are actually processing the images we are seeing on screen. Most of what we think we know is what we’ve been conditioned to know. We know to be scared at the scary parts, laugh at the funny parts and feel sad at the sad parts. Our inability to correctly communicate how films make us feel has skewed focus groups and created a standard template in the film industry as to how to make a movie. Now, the fairly new practice of neuromarketing — where MRI technology is used to determine a shopper’s preferences and actual brain reactions to a particular product or idea — is being applied to the film industry, starting with the horror genre. Check out this Wired article to view a video explanation of the technology and read a Q&A with Dr. David Hubbard, a board-certified neurologist who is the leading neurologist on the project.