A screening of a short (7-minute) film with a punchline leads us into an exploration of the cognitive science of the difference between plot twists that surprise and delight and ones that fall flat. We’ll discuss findings on the interaction between surprise and memory, the relationship between ease of processing and the experience of insight, and how social psychology helps explain why unsuccessful twists can feel not just disappointing, but like violations of the social contract.

Vera Tobin of the Department of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University, is the author of Elements of Surprise: Our Mental Limits and the Satisfactions of Plot (2018, Harvard University Press).