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Interesting. Sareitha Sedai Send a noteboard - 12/08/2011 04:38:19 PM
Hey guys. Not really a regular poster on the books board, but I came across an <a href="http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/08/spoilers-dont-spoil-anything.ars">article you might like.</a>

Basically it's a claim that having a story "spoiled" doesn't actually decrease someone's enjoyment of it (and in fact may do the opposite). There's not a lot of data to back this up (one experiment) but it seems to make sense. Personally, I've always enjoyed reading plot summaries before starting a book, so I'd more or less agree with what this is saying.

Anyway, check it out, and my apologies if this is something that's been discussed to death. :P


It'd be interesting to see this study replicated in some way with people who self-identify (like we're seeing in the replies here) as people who either like, don't like, or don't mind spoilers in general.

I think there's a selection bias in using undergraduates to support this point. They probably appreciate the timesaving element and somebody telling them what the important bits are before they begin. Among other issues.

I also think there's a huge difference in time investment (and, to my way of thinking, that will directly impact this enjoyment measurement) when you talk about short stories vs. a novel, a series of novels, or a TV series.

But it's definitely an interesting article (as is the rebuttal Nate posted). I think another reason people don't like spoilers on the internets is oftentimes they've actively worked to avoid spoilers (and delayed the gratification of reading/viewing something they want to so as to avoid the possibility of having something spoiled) and then are frustrated to have spoilers appear in unlikely places, making their effort feel wasted. So it's not all about enjoying the story less, but other psychological elements at play.
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Interesting article: "Spoilers don't spoil anything." - 11/08/2011 08:33:42 PM 1952 Views
It's probably one of those things that works "in general" - 11/08/2011 08:43:03 PM 1099 Views
Could be! - 11/08/2011 10:21:15 PM 1085 Views
Here's a rebuttal. - 11/08/2011 09:02:06 PM 1262 Views
That rebuttal is about as strong as the original article (not very ). - 11/08/2011 10:15:36 PM 1252 Views
The point I like in it ... - 11/08/2011 10:52:02 PM 990 Views
Tor.com has a vested interest in us not getting spoilers - 12/08/2011 03:24:20 AM 927 Views
I wouldn't call either of those spoilers ... - 12/08/2011 01:38:08 PM 814 Views
I agree it is case by case - 12/08/2011 09:08:25 PM 953 Views
I dunno. My personal experience leans the other way. - 12/08/2011 01:57:37 AM 910 Views
Yeah, I don't think it's for everyone. - 12/08/2011 02:51:19 AM 1210 Views
Not having read the article... - 12/08/2011 03:04:13 AM 985 Views
Spoilers don't spoil anything if the story is well-written. - 12/08/2011 04:25:44 AM 886 Views
And I agree with this too. - 12/08/2011 12:46:03 PM 966 Views
Interesting. - 12/08/2011 04:38:19 PM 933 Views
It depends on what you want to get out of a story - 19/08/2011 12:16:42 AM 941 Views
this brings a question to mind - 19/08/2011 03:25:31 AM 973 Views
If it were true that most stories have twist endings - 19/08/2011 07:53:42 AM 799 Views

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