Pilot Psychophysiological Study of the Co-watcher Effect

Watching a film with others can be seen as a collaborative action, and the presence of a co-watcher affects the experience of the film. Since the data on the direction of this effect are contradictory, the aim of this study was to identify the dynamics of psychological and physiological indicators before and after watching the film. In the pilot study, 13 people participated (6 men) aged 20–35 years. 7 people watched a 107-min thriller film alone, and 6 people watched it in pairs (3 pairs in total). Heart rate (HR) was recorded using a Polar H10 sensor. Situational anxiety was assessed before and after watching the film, and HR was recorded for 3 min, and time and frequency domain metrics were further calculated. The results of the study demonstrated that for all participants who watched the film with a co-watcher, situational anxiety increased after watching, as did the coefficient of HR variability (cvnni) and the total power of HR variability spectrum (total_power). Watching without a co-watcher was accompanied by increased anxiety in only three participants, and increased cvnni and total_power in approximately half of the cases. Thus, the co-watcher effect during film watching has a strong influence on the watcher’s experience by increasing it, reflected in both psychological and physiological data.