A general theory of comic entertainment: Arousal, appraisal, and the PECMA flow

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The article claims that comic entertainment consists of five elements 1. priming of the comic events to come 2. some comic entertainment inputs that creates arousal 3. Entertainment-internal signals of the playful nature of the comic input 4. Appraisal processes in audience members that evaluate the input as 'not real but playful', 5. this leads to a change in hedonic tone, and arousal is combined with the release of endorphins (a morphine-based neurotransmitter) that makes the arousal pleasant. The theory of comic entertainment accords with the PECMA flow theory proposed in Grodal: Embodied Visions, because the evaluation: playful, not real, influences the muscular directness towards the world that drops. Comic entertainment is further linked to human bonding.
Translated title of the contributionEn generel teori om komisk underholdning
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCognitive Media Theory
EditorsTed Nannicelli, Paul Taberham
Number of pages19
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherRoutledge
Publication dateMar 2014
Pages177-195
Chapter10
ISBN (Print)978041562867, 978041562874
ISBN (Electronic)9780203098226
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2014

ID: 129449575