Riveted: The Science of Why Jokes Make Us Laugh, Movies Make Us Cry, and Religion Makes Us Feel One with the Universe

by Jim Davies Narrated by Matthew Josdal

Overview

Professor Jim Davies's fascinating and highly accessible book, Riveted, reveals the evolutionary underpinnings of why we find things compelling.



What we like and don't like is almost always determined by subconscious forces, and when we try to consciously predict our own preferences we're often wrong. In one study of speed dating, people were asked what kinds of partners they found attractive. When the results came back, the participants' answers before the exercise had no correlation with who they actually found attractive in person! We are beginning to understand just how much the brain makes our decisions for us: we are rewarded with a rush of pleasure when we detect patterns, as the brain thinks we've discovered something significant; the mind urges us to linger on the news channel or rubberneck an accident in case it might pick up important survival information; it even pushes us to pick up People magazine in order to find out about changes in the social structure.



Drawing on work from philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, psychology, economics, computer science, and biology, Davies offers a comprehensive explanation to show that in spite of the differences between the many things that we find compelling, they have similar effects on our minds and brains.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

05/05/2014
Davies, a professor at the Institute of Cognitive Science at Carleton University, attempts to devise a “compellingness foundations theory” to explain much of human behavior, building on the basics of evolutionary psychology. He flits from topic to topic, landing briefly and probing gently before moving on. In the midst of asking whether there is a link between the way we perceive humor and profanity, for example, he detours into a very brief discussion of tickling before returning to humor, having left profanity behind. Although Davies makes abundant use of footnotes, he offers so little discussion of the research he cites that unless the reader is already familiar with the works cited, they are not likely to prove useful in advancing his thesis. One of Davies’s goals is to “explain why we find religious and paranormal ideas riveting” while demonstrating that “supernatural beliefs are false,” yet his findings will leave readers yearning for more substance. His general observations are similarly banal: “We don’t seem to have nonartistic, nonerotic photos... of people we don’t recognize.” Davies addresses an array of captivating questions superficially and with little insight. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

A fascinating analysis of what we find fascinating.” ---Kirkus

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

A fascinating analysis of what we find fascinating. —Kirkus

Library Journal

06/15/2014
Why do some of us like certain kinds of music or works of art, or believe in one religion instead of another? What draws us in and keeps us riveted? Davies (cognitive science, Carleton Univ.) answers these questions using a combination of social, evolutionary, and cognitive psychological theories. He explains how our "old" and "new" brains interact and often collide with each other when reacting to certain stimuli. As humans, we like patterns and symmetry, but, at the same time, we enjoy looking at objects that surprise us and cause dissonance. It's that element of surprise that keeps us captivated. The author spends most of the book describing why we believe in the supernatural—and includes religion in that category—and warns readers that they might not like everything he has to say but asks them to keep an open mind. He also reflects on the research shown in Stuart A. Vyse's Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition. VERDICT Davies's publication is quite absorbing and is recommended for all readers who seek answers as to what we find compelling and why.—Jill Morningstar, Michigan State Univ. Libs., East Lansing

Kirkus Reviews

2014-05-21
A multidisciplinary exploration of how and why certain ideas and experiences resonate more than others.The world around us contains a vast number of things we find compelling, from fine art to video games to scary stories.Psychology Todayblogger Davies (Institute of Cognitive Science/Carleton Univ.) orients all of these categories of riveting phenomena around what he calls a "compellingness foundations theory." Central to his framework is the idea that there are psychological and evolutionary commonalities among the reasons we find things interesting. For example, an innate instinct to be physically prepared for any potential physical conflict may explain why we enjoy watching sports; even on TV, a football game causes mirror neurons in our brains to fire, making us feel like we're taking part in the action. Similarly, we're hard-wired to be drawn to stories that instill fear or suggest conspiracy, since we might glean some information that will provide important lessons for survival. Backed by recent research across fields including psychology, anthropology and biology, the author suggests that our methods of discerning what we find compelling—and therefore more likely to remember and repeat—are largely subconscious and remarkably similar across different kinds of stimuli. Whether we delight in finding a pattern due to the fact that it reveals a regularity that might be exploited or connect with a religious narrative since it brings us hope or peace of mind, the brain is affected in similar ways. Laughter, too, is more primitive than we think, closely related to fear and relief—though a good joke, especially one with an incongruous punch line, is also powerfully compelling. Packed with cutting-edge research findings and written with clarity and brio, this book accomplishes its goal of delivering riveting content.A fascinating analysis of what we find fascinating.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170638123
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/15/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos