Do Dom, Do Dom, Do Dom .... remember Jaws? I think I saw it more than 20 times and yet, I never saw it! Although being a movie lover I have to admit, there are many of my favorite movies that I've watch over and over again - and I never saw "it". By it I mean the moment when the shark attacks, the intruder slides through the dark house approaching the non-expecting victim to be, the ice is breaking underneath the child's feet, or the gun is about to get fired. I never really saw Bruce Willis getting shot in the sixth sense. I leave the room, get a drink, adjust my hair, file my nails .... anything really. Go figure!
Not that I am particularly disturbed by my whimpyness, not at all. But I've always been curious what that is all about and today I have found the answer! Eureka!
It's all to do with the brain. Researchers have found that uncertainty, not knowing, or not being prepared causes the brain to produce stronger negative emotions than if a person has the opportunity to adjust to what is to come.
"Expectations have a dramatic impact on many aspects of our lives, including performance at work and school, interpersonal relationships and health. Expectations can alter perceptions of negative events as well as neural and emotional responses." Study in Science Daily
So when you are one of those people who like to know everything beforehand, you might actually NOT be a control freak but just innocently going about working on your distress tolerance skills! If you are prepared for what is to come, you are much more likely to respond more positively to an event.
So go ahead all you people, who like me sheepishly admit that they always read the end of a novel first, settle down, and then go about enjoying the rest of the story!
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