What your taste in movies REALLY says about your personality, according to science (and no, being a horror fan DOESN'T make you a psycho)

What does it actually say about you if you love comedies, or like nothing better than watching a masked killer hunting down his victims?

The answer is probably rather different from what you expect.

Multiple scientific studies have investigated the personality traits associated with different film genres, and have come up with some surprising associations (as well as some not-so-surprising ones, like the fact that rom-com fans tend to believe in true love.

Here’s what your favorite film genre says about you, according to science:

HORROR: YOU'RE OUTGOING 

If you’re a horror fan, the good news is that your predilection for watching people in clown masks slash and mutilate innocent victims doesn’t mean that you are a psychopath yourself.

In fact, watching horror films means you’re more likely to be an outgoing or ‘extroverted’ person.

What does watching horror films such as M3GAN say about you? (Getty)

A study by the University of Lleida in Spain found that extroverts tend to be drawn to action and horror films, but left bored by game shows and news programs.

Another study found that sensation-seekers actually salivated more during a 20-minute segment of the horror film Friday 13th, showing that they were more alert.

Some studies have suggested in the past that people who enjoy horror films are less likely to show empathy - care for others - but a 2022 study called this into question.

The pre-print study found that ‘enjoyment of horror movies was unrelated to affective empathy, negatively associated with cold heartedness, and positively associated with cognitive empathy.

In fact, enjoying horror films is not very different to children playing games like chasing and hide and seek, says psychologist Mathias Clasen, writing in Psychology Today.

Clasen said that a recent study showed that horror films seem to make fans more resilient, with fans able to cope better during COVID lockdowns.

Clasen said: ‘Presumably, we evolved to find pleasure in threat simulation because of the learning potential of such simulation. When we play with fear, we may learn important lessons about the dangers of the world as well as our own responses to danger. We learn what it feels like to be afraid, and we get to practice and hone fear-regulation strategies. We may even become more resilient in the process.’

ROM-COMS: YOU BELIEVE IN TRUE LOVE 

There’s some fairly weird science around why we watch rom-coms, including research by University of Colorado at Boulder which found that people tend to want to watch rom coms when it’s cold.

But - perhaps unsurprisingly - many studies have found that people who believe in ‘true love’ tend to enjoy romantic films.

What does a taste for rom coms say about you as a person? 

A 2019 study by Valerie Kretz found that not only do people who like romantic movies believe in the idea that ‘love conquers all’, they are also more likely to be happy in their relationships.

Kretz wrote: ‘Television drama and romantic movie viewing were the strongest predictors of belief in love conquers all and relationship satisfaction, whereas soap opera viewing was the strongest predictor of belief in soul mates.’

In fact, a 2014 study found that watching romantic movies together was as effective as some counselling methods when it comes to staying together.

Using a ‘movie and talk’ approach reduced the divorce and separation rate from 24 percent to 11 percent.

Lead author Ronald Rogge of the University of Rochester said: 'It’s incredibly portable. 

'There are really great marriage intervention programs available now but most require trained therapists to administer them.

'If couples can do this on their own, it makes it so much easier to help them.'

SCI-FI: YOU MAY HAVE NARCISSISTIC TRAITS 

What does engaging with ‘geek culture’ such as Dune or Star Wars say about you as a person?

One controversial 2015 study suggests that people who do so are narcissists who seek to escape the real world.

Enjoyed Dune 2? Here's what that says about you 

The researchers wrote: ‘These studies present evidence that individuals may engage in geek culture in order to maintain narcissistic self-views (the great fantasy migration hypothesis), to fulfill belongingness needs (the belongingness hypothesis), and to satisfy needs for creative expression (the need for engagement hypothesis).

'Geek engagement is found to be associated with elevated grandiose narcissism, extraversion, openness to experience, depression, and subjective well-being across multiple samples.’

But that’s not the full picture. Writing in The Conversation, Dr Gavin Miller Senior Lecturer in Medical Humanities at the University of Glasgow, said that psychologists tend to dismiss the fact that science fiction often confronts real issues in the world.

Others suggest a link between an affinity for fantasy and sci fi and creativity.

Cognitive psychologist Dr Kevin Brown said in an interview: 'Those drawn to fantasy tend to be people with a more creative mind. It’s an often underestimated form of intelligence, but it is an important form.

‘Creativity tends to be undervalued in our society. Interestingly, many who do not necessarily have a creative mind still have a visceral need for the creativity of others through literature or music.’

Research by Oklahoma University backs this up, suggesting that sci fi fans are ‘open to experience’ and happy to explore new ideas.

The researchers write, ‘Their openness to adventure and a variety of experiences makes sense with the correlation to science fiction, which is characterized by these traits.

COMEDY: YOU'VE GOT BAGS OF ENERGY 

People who watch comedies tend to have ‘hyperthymic’ traits, one study found.

Hyperthymic temperament refers to people with abnormally large amounts of energy and enthusiasm.

Watching comedies such as The Hangover could mean you're an energetic and open person

Other studies have suggested that people who enjoy comedies tend to be more open to new experiences and more creative than others.

There’s also good news if you ARE a comedy fan: a 2016 study found that watching comedies is actually good for reducing levels of stress hormones such as cortisol.