Spoilers, despite their name, seem to increase enjoyment of stories. This could be because readers enjoy reading expected endings, because knowing the ending allows them to appreciate aesthetic elements instead of guessing what will happen, or because knowing the ending increases fluency by enabling readers to correctly interpret clues and events. We conducted three experiments to test these hypotheses. Experiment 1 collected ratings at the midpoints of anthologized stories, and determined that readers experience greater pleasure even before reading the end of spoiled stories. This spoiler benefit was mediated by processing fluency, and not by appreciation of aesthetic elements. Experiment 2 found that spoilers similar to those in Experiment 1 do not increase ease of reading — or pleasure — for very-easy-to-read stories. Experiment 3 found, however, that very simple spoilers could increase the pleasure of easy-to-read stories.
2025. The Role of Different Spoiler Types in the Experience of Short Stories. Scientific Study of Literature 14:1 ► pp. 27 ff.
Mäkelä, Ville, Kartik Chinda & Irtika Khan
2025. Proceedings of the 2025 ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences, ► pp. 230 ff.
Winkielman, Piotr, Katarzyna Jasko & Jenny Yoo
2025. Fluency shapes evaluations: Feelings, interpretations, expectations, and goals [Psychology of Learning and Motivation, ],
Li, Yang, Junrui Zhang, Miao Feng & Haoran Si
2024. Dynamic interaction effects between online reviews and spoilers: a PVAR approach. Electronic Commerce Research
Cohen, Anna‐Lisa, Chaim Goldberg, Jonathan Mintz & Elliot Shavalian
2023. Spoiler alert: How narrative film captures attention. Applied Cognitive Psychology 37:3 ► pp. 612 ff.
Bae, Giwoong & Hye-Jin Kim
2022. Interdependent relation between earned media and TV ratings. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics 34:1 ► pp. 132 ff.
Kryston, Kevin, Ezgi Ulusoy, Sara M. Grady, Benjamin K. Johnson, Judith E. Rosenbaum & Allison Eden
2022. Seeking Spoilage: The Impact of Content Challenge, Self-Control, and Traits on Spoiler Selection. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 66:3 ► pp. 440 ff.
Li, Yang, Xin (Robert) Luo, Kai Li & Xiaobo Xu
2022. Exploring the spoiler effect in the digital age: Evidence from the movie industry. Decision Support Systems 157 ► pp. 113755 ff.
Ryoo, Jun Hyun (Joseph), Xin (Shane) Wang & Shijie Lu
2021. Do Spoilers Really Spoil? Using Topic Modeling to Measure the Effect of Spoiler Reviews on Box Office Revenue. Journal of Marketing 85:2 ► pp. 70 ff.
Johnson, Benjamin K., Angel Udvardi, Allison Eden & Judith E. Rosenbaum
2020. Spoilers Go Bump in the Night. Journal of Media Psychology 32:1 ► pp. 14 ff.
Sethi, Neha
2020. Retrospective Imaginative Involvement. In The International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology, ► pp. 1 ff.
Unkel, Julian & Anna Sophie Kümpel
2020. (A)synchronous Communication about TV Series on Social Media: A Multi-Method Investigation of Reddit Discussions. Media and Communication 8:3 ► pp. 180 ff.
Daniel, Thomas A. & Jeffrey S. Katz
2019. Spoilers Affect the Enjoyment of Television Episodes but Not Short Stories. Psychological Reports 122:5 ► pp. 1794 ff.
Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten & Mark B. Houston
2019. Entertainment Communication Decisions, Episode 1: Paid and Owned Channels. In Entertainment Science, ► pp. 523 ff.
Kent, Bob, Buffy N. Mosley & David A. Schweidel
2019. Advertisements in DVR Time. Journal of Advertising Research 59:1 ► pp. 73 ff.
Perks, Lisa G & Noelle McElrath-Hart
2018. Spoiler definitions and behaviors in the post-network era. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 24:2 ► pp. 137 ff.
Levine, William H., Michelle Betzner & Kevin S. Autry
2016. The Effect of Spoilers on the Enjoyment of Short Stories. Discourse Processes 53:7 ► pp. 513 ff.
Schwarz, Norbert, Eryn Newman & William Leach
2016. Making the Truth Stick & the Myths Fade: Lessons from Cognitive Psychology. Behavioral Science & Policy 2:1 ► pp. 85 ff.
Johnson, Benjamin K. & Judith E. Rosenbaum
2015. Spoiler Alert. Communication Research 42:8 ► pp. 1068 ff.
Johnson, Benjamin K. & Judith E. Rosenbaum
2018. (Don’t) Tell Me How It Ends: Spoilers, Enjoyment, and Involvement in Television and Film. Media Psychology 21:4 ► pp. 582 ff.
Redmon, Allen H.
2015. ‘After Everything I’ve Seen…’: RewatchingShutter Islandas a Knowing Audience. Adaptation 8:2 ► pp. 254 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 4 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.
