You scroll past a dozen titles. Reject the ones that feel too heavy, too quirky, too beige.

Then without overthinking, you hit play.

You tell yourself it’s just what you’re “in the mood for.” But psychologists suggest your mood tends to reach for the same kinds of stories again and again.

A study published in the Journal of Personality by Peter Rentfrow, Lewis Goldberg, and Ran Zheng found that across music, movies, books, and TV, entertainment preferences fall into five broad dimensions.

These aren’t genres. They’re psychological signatures, each linked to traits like curiosity, openness, and social warmth.

Of course, these dimensions aren’t personality cages. You’re not stuck in one, and they’re not always distinct. You might bounce between them depending on your mood, your need, or whether your ex just liked someone else’s engagement post.

But even though a book or film might span more than one dimension, your queue still leaves clues.

So, I like to imagine each dimension as an inner character. Not a personality type, but a familiar pull. A version of you that surfaces when that kind of story feels right.

You don’t become the Dreamer, but sometimes the Dreamer in you wants the mic.

You’ll probably recognize yourself in more than one. So let's start with the version of you that shows up when stillness isn’t cutting it.

“I seek peace in motion. When life feels flat, I pick stories with a pulse.”

This is you when you reach for spy thrillers, fantasy quests, dystopias, mysteries, or survival dramas. Anything that makes your heart rate sync up with the soundtrack.

This preference aligns with what the study calls the........

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