Psychologists Explain Why We Love Animation

May 18 2022 - Animation is one of the most popular types of video today, and it’s not just popular with small children either. Teens, working adults, and even seniors all love animation and prefer it to many other types of video. But just why is animation so popular? Is there a psychology behind the reasoning? The answer is yes. In this article, we’ll explain just what the research surrounding animation has uncovered, and why businesses have begun to jump on the animation bandwagon.

The Experiment

Sparkol, makers of whiteboard animation software, performed a psychological experiment and split A/B test to see which type of video was most engaging to a control group. One video was an animated whiteboard video while the other was a traditional talking head type video. The researchers found that animated video led to much higher levels of engagement. Viewers of the animated video were more likely to be entertained by it and were more likely to share it with their friends.

However, the most fascinating discovery from the experiment was that viewers were more likely to retain information from an animated video. 92% of viewers remembered information from the animated video. This experiment therefore found that animation can help to improve learning.

Businesses Are Using Animation for a Reason

Based on the above research, it’s not hard to see why so many businesses are investing in desktop computers for animation and employing the staff that know how to create animated videos. The experiment clearly illustrates that using animated video can be a great way to increase engagement among your followers, and thus increase your visibility on social media and marketing platforms. When combined with a solid content marketing strategy, businesses can see their turnover increase dramatically.

Further research has shown that lots of adults look to video over text before making a purchasing decision. Many of us are drawn to explainer videos that show us how products work and prefer to watch these over reading pages and pages of text. If the animated video can improve memory recall in young children, then it makes sense that the same occurs in adults. Thus, animation can help your brand to stay in the minds of consumers, which can lead to sales down the road.

Why Animated Video is So Popular

There are a number of reasons why animated video is so popular with people of all ages. A lot of people get a sense of nostalgia when watching animation - many of us watched animated movies as kids, and so this type of film instantly brings back happy memories. Others like the entertainment aspect. Animated movies are way more entertaining than traditional talking heads - so they’re popular in the business and education sectors. This type of video is also incredibly creative. The creators have the opportunity to create literally anything they want. They’re not bogged down by locations, or actors, or any other real-world issues. Whatever characters, props, landscapes, motion, and sound you want - the choice is yours. All of these factors contribute to animation’s popularity.

Now you know why animation is still popular today.

More Psychology articles