PSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF MOVIE PREFERENCES IN THE SITUATION OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The article presents the results of an empirical research, continuing the series of our works in the field of psychology of film, aimed at acquiring new information about the psychological patterns of how movies are chosen. We studied the relation between psychological characteristics of the individuals, the specifics of their psychological response, and the movie choices they made in the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1,109 individuals took part in the online survey during the quarantine period (May-June 2020). Data from 811 participants (283 male and 528 female) were selected for analysis. Almost half of the participants (46.1%) started watching movies more often in quarantine. Measures: The Original Movie Pre ferences Measure, TIPI-RU Big Five Short Test, Coping Strategies Indicator by J. Ami rkhan, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory by Ch. Spielberger. It was found that the choice of films during the quarantine restrictions was determined by gender and stable psychological characteristics (personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, openness to experience) as well as by less stable ones (coping strategies: avoidance, problem solving, seeking social support; anxiety: S anxiety, anxiety as concern about pandemic). Gender and personality traits were strong predictors of most genre preferences. However, the choice of emotionally tense, realistic, and entertaining films was also related to coping strategies and levels of anxiety. During the quarantine, people turned to such genres due to their psychological characteristics and on the basis of current needs.