By: Joe Serwach, UM News Service
Monday, July 26, 2004
Assistant Professor Oliver Schultheiss' research is being covered my media outlets around the globe.
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—A romantic movie or an action-adventure film can send your hormone levels in measurably different directions, according to new research.
Watching a romantic movie can boost progesterone levels more than 10 percent, bringing couples closer together, according to new research at the University of Michigan. A movie like "The Godfather" can alter testosterone and dampen attentive feelings.
UM psychology researchers tested three different groups. One viewed a romantic scene from "The Bridges of Madison County," a second group watched portions of "The Godfather: Part II" while a third group watched a documentary on the Amazon rainforest. Each had hormonal levels tested immediately before, after and 45 minutes after viewing the 30 minutes of tape....
When you’re watching movies, your hormones are responding, not just your mind," said Oliver Schultheiss, a U-M psychology professor whose work will be detailed in an upcoming issue of the journal Hormones and Behavior. "This also helps explain why certain people like to go to certain types of movies. Affiliation-motivated people like to see romantic flicks. But power-motivated people prefer movies with more action and violence.
"If you want to learn about someone’s personality, look at their video collection or look at what’s on their bookshelves."
So what’s the best date movie for a couple? "They should definitely see the romantic movie and if the guy is high-testosterone, he should just clench his teeth and in exchange, it will help promote the relationship," Schultheiss said....
For the complete text, follow this link to UM News Service press release.
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