Our Desire to Know..

[mousermerf]

I ran across an interesting article that consults expert-type people about human behavior and it deals with fan-obsession with something, in the article, the show Lost.

I think lots of parallels can be made to the little community here.

More then you want to know?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/14/AR2008031401084.html

Of particular interest...

No, we want more than that. We want answers, not breadcrumbs. But why?

After all, the mysteries people "solve" have never really been mysteries but rather things that the writers intended to reveal all along. And now that producers have announced that the series will end in two short years, why can't we just let ourselves sit back and be entertained?

The answer to that lies, partly, in the phenomenon that psychologists and behavioral economists call "dynamic inconsistency" -- our brain's inability to reconcile what we want now with what we will want later.

"Right now, you feel this overwhelming desire to know the outcome of something," says Jonathan Cohen, who researches dynamic inconsistency at Princeton. "In the future, when you're actually reading the last chapter you wonder why you couldn't wait."

This field of study is still new, but Cohen's team postulates that the drive for immediate gratification is located in our "lizard brains" -- the instinctual part that believes our needs must be met now. The uniquely human part of our brains, the patient part that can recognize the value of waiting and savoring and saving, often loses out to the reptile, even now, even after all this evolution.

And to all those who say we're spoiling it by discussing it so much here..

You're not even worried, despite dynamic inconsistency, about ruining future episodes for yourself: For guidance, you've contacted a Carnegie Mellon professor who studies TV viewing experiences. Joachim Vosgerau's experiments have shown that "spoiled" viewers can actually enjoy broadcasts as much as unspoiled ones -- they just focus more on the journey than on the outcome.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Joachim Vosgerau's experiments have shown that "spoiled" viewers can actually enjoy broadcasts as much as unspoiled ones -- they just focus more on the journey than on the outcome.

There's probably something to that. Otherwise, why ever re-watch a movie you saw already?

I can't relate to the "need to know" folks myself, though. Before the last Harry Potter book came out, I not only avoided confirmed spoilers, I avoided straight-up speculation. To me, it's more fulfilling to just read the story and find out the "truth" instead of juggling dozens of different theories. I suppose I'm the same way about Disney.

 

[Thiger]

I am one of the crazy Lost fans, just as much as a crazy WDW fan and it was a pretty interesting read.

Although I'm about 90% sure that I've figured out most things on Lost I still love it for the experience. Same with Disney. I know TSM is coming and what the ride will entail and that no way changes how much fun I'll have experiencing it.

I also love the feeling of unity and knowing that there are a million other people out there like me, who enjoy something deeply.

-triple digit dance for next wdw trip-
-single digit dance for next episode of Lost-

 

[earnhrdt3]

I am one of the crazy Lost fans, just as much as a crazy WDW fan and it was a pretty interesting read.

Although I'm about 90% sure that I've figured out most things on Lost I still love it for the experience. Same with Disney. I know TSM is coming and what the ride will entail and that no way changes how much fun I'll have experiencing it.

I also love the feeling of unity and knowing that there are a million other people out there like me, who enjoy something deeply.

-triple digit dance for next wdw trip-
-single digit dance for next episode of Lost-

would love to hear your theory on Lost!

Nice article! i think i can relate it to the first time i saw the castle... it still has a profound effect on me even though i know i've seen it before! know what i mean???? i'm an almost 40 year old male and i still get tears!

remember the magic!

 

[Philo]

Thats pretty interesting.

I've always been the type of person who isn't happy knowing that something works - I need to know how it works, when it works etc.

Whenever I get a new DVD boxset (Fraiser springs to mind here) I can't stop watching them till I fall asleep or I'm dragged away from the screen. It's not that I'm impatient - far from it - I'm just not satisfied till I've been through the whole journey.

There has however been a time when my constant search for details led to problems. Before my last visit to WDW I was very excited about riding EE for the first time. I read all about the construction, the storylines, the experience etc and eventually I caved in and watched on on-ride video. I really, really wish I hadn't because I never had the surprise of 'oh, we're going backwards now'. I loved the ride but I never got that first-time surprise

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Before my last visit to WDW I was very excited about riding EE for the first time. I read all about the construction, the storylines, the experience etc and eventually I caved in and watched on on-ride video. I really, really wish I hadn't because I never had the surprise of 'oh, we're going backwards now'. I loved the ride but I never got that first-time surprise

Now I'm completely the opposite. I avoided ALL threads on here concerning Everest until after my 2006 trip - I wanted to discover it for myself and make MY mind up - not read everyone else's thoughts.

In the same way, I've so far avoided all threads about the SSE re hab and all new attractions since 2006 (except the parades coming to the parks soon)

 

[The Mom]

Be sure to read the whole article.

I quote, " While humans may have always wanted to know what happened (or, in the case of WDW, when, where, how, why) next, (long quote about Charles Dickens & serial novels) Ryan says the internet has transformed that feeling from a desire to an entitlement." (emphasis mine)

IMO, people tend to get angry when they feel that something they are entitled to is being withheld by the powers that be (in our case, WDW).

Ryan also goes on to point out that the majority of people who have the same desire to "know it all" get very angry when someone gives away too much information, thereby ruining their fun at trying to solve the mystery themselves.

All of this explains some of the behavior around here. :lol: Fortunately, the majority of us are not in the entitlement camp, and don't mind not being the first to know everything, or if we must know, we prefer to keep it to ourselves as not to spoil the surprise/fun for others.

 

[One Lil Spark]

Be sure to read the whole article.

I quote, " While humans may have always wanted to know what happened (or, in the case of WDW, when, where, how, why) next, (long quote about Charles Dickens & serial novels) Ryan says the internet has transformed that feeling from a desire to an entitlement." (emphasis mine)

IMO, people tend to get angry when they feel that something they are entitled to is being withheld by the powers that be (in our case, WDW).

Ryan also goes on to point out that the majority of people who have the same desire to "know it all" get very angry when someone gives away too much information, thereby ruining their fun at trying to solve the mystery themselves.

All of this explains some of the behavior around here. :lol: Fortunately, the majority of us are not in the entitlement camp, and don't mind not being the first to know everything, or if we must know, we prefer to keep it to ourselves as not to spoil the surprise/fun for others.

Wonderful post Mom.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Agreed.


Inteteresting post,Merf.:animwink: