Spoilers ‘do not ruin stories’, study says

BBC:

Knowing how a book ends does not ruin its story and can actually enhance enjoyment, a study suggests.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego gave participants 12 short stories where two versions were spoiled and a third unspoiled.

In all but one story, readers said they preferred versions which had spoiling paragraphs written into it.

Although the study could not explain why, it suggested the brain may find it easier to process a spoiled story.

“You get this significant reverse-spoiler effect,” study author and professor of social psychology Nicholas Christenfeld said.

“It’s sort of as if knowing things puts you in a position that gives you certain advantages to understand the plot.”

Co-author Jonathan Leavitt added: “It could be that once you know how it turns out, you’re more comfortable processing the information and can focus on a deeper understanding of the story.”

Prof Christenfeld said this suggested people may enjoy a good story as much as a good twist at the end, and even if they know the outcome, will enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

Read the whole story: BBC