The Exposure Effect
It’s March! Do you know what that means?
Apparently, it’s finally the end of hockey season.
Not for our boys though, because they’re going to the playoffs!
There’s only one more regular season game and it’s a home game, so if you’ve been following along and planning to come, tomorrow’s your last chance.
By now I’m sure you’re used to my random information, so I trust you’ll stick with me on this one.
Did you know there is a psychological phenomenon called the mere exposure effect?
Basically, the more we’re exposed to something, the more we like it.
Take music, for instance. You hear a song once on the radio and you’re not into it.
But then you hear it again. And again. Eventually, you start to think the song’s not as bad as you thought.
Then you hear it a few more times. Before long, you actually like the song.
You don’t change the station when it comes on, you sing along, and you might even listen for it when you scan radio stations. That’s because of your exposure.
I’ve been exposed to a lot of hockey this season.
Like, a lot of hockey. So, is the mere exposure effect why I like the sport?
Is hockey actually an entertaining sport where smart, talented men work together to achieve a common goal?
Or have I just been exposed to it so much that I’ve tricked my brain into liking it?
And what happens when I go back to Hawaii and I’m no longer exposed to hockey (literally at all)?
Will I still like it? Does the mere exposure effect work in reverse, and I’ll slowly lose interest?
These are the questions that keep me up late at night.
But regardless of how I’ll feel when the season’s over, right now I like hockey an awful lot.
That’s right, as readers, you must have noticed the shift in my excitement with each game covered.
And of course, I’m aware that most of you know I’m not even remotely objective anymore.
So, tomorrow night, I’ll be cheering loudly for our team captain and wearing the number twelve proudly on my back.
Exposure alone or a true love of the game, either way, I certainly love our captain.