What is it about movies (and plays) that makes people find them entertaining to watch?

Question

All movies and plays are obviously artificial, yet people are fascinated and entertained by them. Why doesn't the obvious artifice turn us off? Why do people sit, nearly motionless, for hours watching a screen or a stage?

Answer 1

Escape! Have you ever wanted to be someone else? The Hero. The Lover. The Rebel. That is why we do it. We can imagine, and relate to the characters. We put ourselves in their shoes and begin to feel what they feel. Movies and the stage often give us permission to be the bad guy to think the thoughts that we wouldn't want anyone else to hear. In that way also we may experience things vicariously. Things we would otherwise not know.

Kenneth Macgowan said,
"He must learn by vicarious experience as much as he can of the full range of human emotion. Then he may think better, too, but the important thing is that he will go through life with a livelier sense of all its rich and satisfying values."

It's also good for our mind:

"Have some fun. Some of us are very good about having fun, and doing it regularly. But some of us, especially as we get older, forget to have fun. We think we’re having fun watching TV or playing a video game – and some of us really are – but many times we use these activities as stand-ins for actual pleasure. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just that you should also make room in your life for real fun too! While there’s a time and place for taking life seriously, there’s an equal time and place for forgetting your troubles for a few hours a week and really enjoying yourself."
by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
December 26, 2006

"Entertainment is important in order to preserve your sanity. You need to have some fun in life in order to keep your spirits up. Men who have no enjoyment in their lives end up in a rut, and eventually hate going through the same routine day after day. Going to a good movie and getting a good laugh is a great way of forgetting your troubles for a short period of time."
By Alex Silverman
Career Correspondent - Every 2nd Monday