Neural Effects of Suspense and Surprise in Sports Media

Studies focusing on brain imaging (EEG), neuromarketing, sports, and suspense and surprise have all been executed in limited combinations; however, no apparent studies combine all these aspects with sport media viewing. This study used EEG to measure brain activity stimulated by suspense and surprise in sports entertainment. Twenty-one subjects (mean age, 21.8 yr) viewed a stratified random selection of 8 out of 32 suspenseful and/or surprising sports video clips, 2 each of 4 categories: High Suspense and High Surprise (HH), High Suspense and Low Surprise (HL), Low Suspense and High Surprise (LH), and Low Suspense and Low Surprise (LL). EEG frequency bands (θ, α, β, and γ) and the α asymmetry index in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were examined. Across video classifications, main effects were found for α activity in the Left-PFC and for PFC α asymmetry (F 3,60 = 5.298, p = 0.003). Further factorial analyses suggest that suspense and surprise have independent influences on brain activity and there were no apparent interactions between the factors. This provides evidence of the distinct effects that suspense and surprise, anticipatory versus outcome-driven emotions, have on a sports viewer’s brain and offers early insights into the impact of potentially modifiable elements of media for practitioners.