If you read the end of the book first, psychologists say you may have these personality traits

Some might think that reading the end of the book first is something a Criminal Minds killer would do; others see it as perfectly normal. Of course, dear reader, it doesn’t mean you’re prone to leaving heads in a bin, but it could tell you. something interesting about the way you prefer to think and experience the world.

Of course, the boffins have been on it, and according to a influential psychological study, people who read the end first don’t just enjoy stories; in fact, they often enjoy them more.

Researchers Jonathan Leavitt and Nicholas Christenfeld from the University of California, San Diego conducted a series of experiments using twelve short stories ranging from mystery twists to ironic-twist and literary pieces. Each participant read three versions: an unspoiled original, one prefaced by a spoiler paragraph, and a version where that paragraph was seamlessly woven into the story. Surprisingly, readers tended to rate the spoiled versions as more enjoyable.

The authors argue that knowing the ending makes stories cognitively easier to process. Once you know how things turn out, you can focus less on “what happens next” and more on appreciating the craft: the language, the themes, the mechanics of the plot. So that’s why your partner annoyingly Googles the end of the series as you approach the last episode. Now you know.

But this doesn’t mean surprises don’t matter. Rather, for some people, predictability offers comfort and clarity. Leavitt suggested that knowing the outcome frees up mental resources to engage more deeply with the story’s structure and emotional depth.

Here’s a look at the personality traits that reading the end of the book could signify:

• Low “need for cognition”: A later study by other researchers found that individuals who prefer not to engage in deep, effortful thinking may lean into spoilers. For them, revelations make the plot easier to follow, reducing mental strain.
• High preference for predictability or control: Knowing how a story ends can give a sense of certainty, lowering the anxiety that comes with not knowing. Some people find that comfort more rewarding than suspense itself.
• High processing fluency: Research suggests an aesthetic pleasure in being able to process information smoothly. When your brain already knows the destination, narrative clues and foreshadowing make more sense, and your reading feels more fluent, which may increase enjoyment.

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