Abstract
The article discusses films with fantastic elements using evolutionary psychology. The fascination with the fantastic on film is a by-product of different evolutionary mental adaptations, like the interest in causality with the purpose of control that create interest in fantastic violation of naturalist expectations; the horror fear of being preyed upon by powerful agents (animals or other humans) and the fear of contamination from dead bodies; and the need to enforce moral supervision and submission to powerful others to enhance group cohesion, and these functions get a powerful emphasis by invention of supernatural agents. The prominence of supernaturalism in media is not necessarily linked to an increase in religious interest vis à vis science but could also be caused by a diminished 'heresy control' allowing media to exploit a range of innate dispositions of being intrigued by different supernatural phenomena that might be called 'heathen' because it often reuses all kinds of folk superstitions.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Nordic Journal of Media Studies. |
| Vol/bind | 6 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 45-58 |
| Antal sider | 14 |
| ISSN | 1601-829X |
| Status | Udgivet - 2008 |
Emneord
- Det Humanistiske Fakultet