The build-up for Christmas day was unbearable as a kid. Dreaming about what Santa was going to bring created so much positive tension I would count down the days to Christmas day. I was dying to find out, dying to know what I got and dying for resolution.
The more tension a scenario has the more yearning there is for resolution.
This concept is how reality TV shows keep you coming back for more. At the end of each episode, just after your curiosity has been satisfied, they begin to build the tension again by previewing the emotional car crash to come in tomorrow night’s episode.
Now you’re desperate for resolution again. You have to know what happens, how that heated discussion ended, who said what and so on.
Beware the manipulation!
Thomas Duggan 