“Because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with huge ups and downs! So people pretend there is drama where there is none.”I don't buy it.
First, it's probably not about "liking" drama in the conventional sense. Crime, horror, and medical drama conflict aren't necessary things we "like," but like a car crash on the other side of the highway, we can't resist it.
Second, compare what people want in their lives to what they want in their entertainment. A mellow, happy, relaxing, love-filled home is often quite desirable in real life, but it would make for a supremely boring movie. (This isn't to say people don't like adventure and excitement in their own lives too, but the frequency is much lower.)
Third, consider what our emotional and sensory systems have partly evolved for: to rapidly protect us from dangers by revving up our physiological systems. Heart rate, breathing, adrenal levels, visual and auditory processing all flare up in the presence of conflict.
Put these observations together and it seems that humans are attracted to drama because it is indeed "stimulating." It stimulates our minds and bodies. It creates a reaction. And those sensations (those chemical releases) are somehow addictive enough that we seek them out (in some way that involves dopamine which Jonah Lehrer has no doubt already written about).
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