Fandom Rules
I am a member of a fandom. It’s not the first fandom, and it’s not the biggest, but it is the best. I know this, not only because I am a fan of Supernatural, but because I am a bit of a science nerd. Like many Supernatural (SPN) fans, I feel blindsided by the feelings I have for this show. But with a little bit of help from my favorite scientific theory, I think I can explain why the SPN fandom has fallen so hard.
I dig Evolutionary Psychology. It’s relatively new to the scientific scene and it’s still…well…evolving. It’s based on the idea that some of the things modern-day humans do come from behaviors that helped us back in our cave-dwelling days. These behaviors, or instincts, are sort of like software that runs in the background of our minds; we don’t normally pay attention to them, but they pop up when we need direction. Some of the unconscious behaviors we employ that helped us survive thousands of years ago don’t translate very well — like our cravings for sugar. Eating sugar used to get us from one successful hunt to the next, but now it just makes us unhealthy. But most of our prehistoric habits are still useful, like our instinct for seeing patterns in our environment. This behavior eventually lead to our ability to learn language, imagine and invent. Another instinct I think we use is that we look for leaders; powerful people who can keep our tribes safe and happy. And if the SPN fandom were a tribe, I would say we have great instincts.
I think SPN fans have fallen so hard for Supernatural because of the lead actors. The characters they play display many of the characteristics of an effective leader. They are brave, smart, healthy, dedicated, fair, and hard working—not to mention skilled hunters who protect people from scary, dangerous things. This aligns perfectly with what a typical cavedweller would need from their chosen tribal leader. When one is attempting to survive in an unpredictable prehistoric landscape, a cavedweller needs to answer the question: Who in this environment can I trust? And if your environment is the storyline of Supernatural, the people you can trust are Sam and Dean (as long as they are not possessed by something evil.) Of course, this description of an effective leader is not unlike the description of a typical fictional hero. What could get weird for SPN fans is that the characteristics of Sam and Dean are not all that different from the actors who play them.
Now before I gush about Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, I need to bring in a bit more science. A major assumption made by Evolutionary Psychology is the existence of natural selection. In it’s simplest form, it can be defined as “copying good behaviors.” So as the characters Sam and Dean are modeling good survival skills on TV, the cave girl in me is paying rapt attention—as if my life depended on it! The thing is, Jared and Jensen (J2) are saving people in real life too. They have set up crisis hotlines and mounted mental health campaigns specifically to assist fans of Supernatural, so they are authentically taking care of their tribe. As leaders, Jared and Jensen also model cooperation, inclusion, generosity and devotion, so their fans practice these things as well. And if that weren’t enough, J2 create and connect with thousands more fans via YouTube as they share information and make fun of themselves at conventions, giving them even more prestige. Finally, they attribute their success to their fandom…which is a nice gesture…but we fans know that without Jared and Jensen as our leaders, the SPN fandom would not have coalesced. And if the SPN fandom were an actual tribe, we would kick ass.
Listen to this soundtrack for Fandom Rules
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3G4MwfRU11DLO6gVEbGvD2?si=aAE9lsxBQOqpZu9bboAFRQ
References
Cheng, J.T., Tracey, J.L. & Henrich, J. (2010). Pride, personality and the evolutionary foundation of human social status. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31 (5), 334-347.
Henrich, J., & Gil-White, F.J. (2001). The evolution of prestige: Freely conferred deference as a mechanism for enhancing the benefits of cultural transmission. Evolution and Human Behavior, 22 (3), 165-196.
Henrich, J (2016). The Secret of Our Success: How Culture is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter. Princeton University Press, Princeton (NJ) & Oxford (UK).
Mattson, M. P. (2014). Superior pattern processing of the essence of the evolved human brain. Frontiers in NeuroScience. doi 10.3.389/fnins.2014.00265 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4141622/
Spector, D. (2014). An evolutionary explanation for why you always want to eat sugar. Business Insider http://www.businessinsider.com/the-evolutionary-reason-humans-crave-sugar-2015-4
Supernatural Fandom: The Movie. (2014). Mitch Kosterman, Director. Two Sharks Media and Frostbite Pictures.
Vitella, R. (2015) How Big a Fan are You? “Media Spotlight,” Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/201504/how-big-fan-are-you
© 2018 Penny Fie. All rights reserved.