The Science of Spoilers
Where do you stand?
Scott Hardie | August 21, 2011
As with so many things, there may be a subconscious element of power involved. To go into a work of art cold on purpose is to give oneself over to the artist and be led on a journey; in that case, it's entirely on the artist whether the work succeeds or fails. To learn the ending on purpose, and then decide whether or not to experience the rest of the work, is to have power over the work and assume some responsibility for liking it.
Steve Dunn | August 22, 2011
Spoilers normally don't bother me at all. The only time I think I would care is if there' s a huge twist that's integral to the story, like...
The Crying Game
The Usual Suspects
The Sixth Sense
Other than that, spoilers have no effect on my enjoyment of a story. Lots of people think I'm weird for this reason... but it's just the way it is for me.
Erik Bates | August 29, 2011
[hidden by request]
Scott Hardie | August 29, 2011
Last night, Kelly finished the whole run of Star Trek: Enterprise, a series that ends with a sad event. Just before I joined her for the final episode, I mistakenly thought she mentioned that sad event in conversation, so I started asking her all about it - oops, spoiled it for her myself, moments before we watched the show. Luckily, the show itself ALSO dropped a spoiler ten minutes in, when one of the character said what's about to happen, rather than letting it be a surprise. I was off the hook, but only barely.
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Scott Hardie | August 21, 2011
If you avoid spoilers for movies and books so that you can enjoy their surprises, then a new study suggests that ur doin it wrong. Regardless of genre, test subjects consistently enjoyed a story far more when they were told the ending in advance, although not as much when that ending was written into the work itself rather than presented separately. The experiment has a small sample size, so it's hardly conclusive, and it only covers short stories, so there's no proof yet of the effect on films or novels. The study also didn't ask the participants ahead of time whether they preferred spoilers or avoided them, which might have been useful information.
For the lifelong spoiler-averse like me, this news seems like heresy. Doesn't knowing the ending suck out all of the narrative tension? Just like you can't laugh at a joke if you hear the punchline first, you can't be moved by a work of art if you know where it's taking you...
...unless you can. I can think of times when I've appreciated a joke or a funny anecdote in a different, deeper way after hearing the punchline first. And my favorite books and movies, the ones that move me the most, continue to stir powerful emotions every time I see them. By knowing them inside out, I'm able to make new connections and discover deeper insights each new time I enjoy them. They didn't become my favorites upon first viewing; they only came to mean something to me later, after I'd enjoyed them many times and understood them inside-out.
Perhaps there's something to the science. Jim Emerson defends the pleasure of being surprised pretty well, but he tends to miss the forest for the trees; knowing the destination of the plot is not the same thing as ruining "a line well-written and delivered, an emotion well-played, an image well-composed, a cut well-judged." The individual moments along the way don't lose any power from advance knowledge of the plot. Indeed, as the study's original authors suggested, removing some tension by finding out the broad outline of the plot in advance can make a difficult work of art more palatable. There have been a few times when I have stopped in the middle of a challenging work, unsure if I can make it through the rest, and psyched myself up to finish by reading more about what's coming up.
I'm going to experiment with this. The next couple of movies that I see, I'll learn what I can online first. I didn't enjoy the last few movies that I saw and I don't know if spoilers would have helped, but it's worth a try.
What do you think? If you prefer spoilers, how do they help you enjoy something more? If you avoid them, can you see their benefits, suggested by this study?