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Excerpt: Researchers have determined the presence of other people may enhance the movie-watching experience. The researchers at the Journal of Consumer research are the first to examine how a shared experience affects our overall impressions of an experience as a whole. Researchers observed that movie-watchers influence one another and gradually synchronize their emotional responses while watching a film together. The bottom line is that mimicry of this type affects each participant’s evaluation of the overall movie experience, and therefore the movie reviews are usually in sync.The research was accomplished as follows. The researchers asked the participants in the study to watch a video clip. While some viewers watched the film alone, others had comrads watch it with them. There was a partition in between some of the paired participants so their expressions could not be viewed. There were others left with no partition, whose expressions could be seen. Joysticks were used by all to indicate their feelings at each moment while viewing the clip.When the participants were asked how much they liked the movie clip, each reported higher ratings the more their assessments lined up with the other person. Apparently when they mimicked expressions, people catch each other’s moods. This leads to a shared emotional experience. In the end, that feels good to people, so they attribute that good feeling to the quality of the movie.Researchers determined that those people watching who watched the film clip together…

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Excerpt: Popular culture is constantly evolving. There are many influences on what is considered fashionable and stylish at any one time. Some tend to dominate, however. And one growing trend is the effect of gay male sensibilities on many aspects of mainstream culture including films, television and fashion. No longer on the margins of mainstream culture, gay men are often making its rules.Take the breakout show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. This entertaining television program took the (often true!) stereotype of gay males being more fashion conscious, cultured and aesthetically adept than straight males and made it the central idea. These witty gay men ran amock, giving advice to clueless straight guys on everything from their choice of swimwear to their behavior with the opposite sex. The show was a huge hit in the USA and globally, and even spawned localized versions in different countries.There are other, more general examples. Take the gay ideal of masculinity, which has a focus on good grooming and physical fitness. While gay male icons are often Adonis like, their heterosexual counterparts have long been able to get away with being less than fit and sometimes downright slobby. But this seems to have changed in recent years.A couple of recent “sword and sandal” epics illustrate this well. In Troy, both main stars (Brad Pitt and Eric Bana) were fitter, stronger and more muscular than in any of their previous roles. A…

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