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Article contents
“Negative emotions” live in stories, not in the hearts of readers who enjoy them
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 November 2017
Abstract
The commendably ambitious project by Menninghaus et al. fails because its main connective tissue – “negative emotions” – is beyond the grasp of the authors' largely literary approach. The critique focuses on their treatment of the Paradox of Fiction, the neglect of the biological, adaptive nature of emotions, and the absence of convincing empirical support for key aspects of the proposed model.
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- Open Peer Commentary
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017
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Target article
The Distancing-Embracing model of the enjoyment of negative emotions in art reception
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“Negative emotions” live in stories, not in the hearts of readers who enjoy them
Author response
Negative emotions in art reception: Refining theoretical assumptions and adding variables to the Distancing-Embracing model