Entertaiment is the state of being entertained or amused. It is usually associated with recreational activities that involve the senses and can include movies, television shows, video games, art, dance, music, sports and other social gatherings. The word entertainment comes from the Medieval Latin intertenere, which combines the prefix inter meaning “inside” with the suffix tenere or Indo-European root ten, meaning to hold or stretch.

What is entertaining for one group may not be for another. This is partly why familiar forms of entertainment have been able to adapt to different media and continue to enjoy widespread appeal.

Entertainment often hits on themes the brain was evolved to deeply react to. This can include backstabbing, murders and other themes the brain was shaped to understand in order to function in a social world.