Who hasn’t dreamt of donning a cape and saving the world? After seeing the latest “Spider-Man” or “Batman” movie, people might also be influenced to adopt heroic behaviour, new research suggests.
This study published in the Journal of Psychology involved 200 Brazilians, who were divided into a study group and a control group. The former watched a 3-minute, 47-second scene from 2016’s “Batman v Superman”, in which Batman fights several villains to rescue a captured character.
The scene illustrates both the violence typical of this kind of film and the heroic, protective aspect of their actions. In contrast, the control group watched a neutral video with no violent or prosocial content.
After viewing, participants were asked to perform a prosocial task – an action aimed at helping others – by distributing chocolate to future participants. The goal here was for the researchers to assess altruistic intentions.
The researchers also assessed participants’ levels of empathy using a scale to measure three types of empathy: affective (sharing another person’s emotions), cognitive (understanding another person’s point of view), and associative empathy (identifying with the character in the video).
The researchers reported that viewers who watched the film scene reported higher levels of empathy than those in the control group. The most empathetic identified more with the Batman character and his mission.
They also had to decide on the morality of the Caped Crusader’s actions. Participants were asked to decide whether these violent actions were justified, using a series of statements such as “the main character’s actions were necessary” or “it was impossible to deal with this situation in any other way”.
Once again, viewers who considered the actions of the Gotham City hero to be morally right were more inclined to adopt altruistic, even helpful, behaviour.
“The researchers theorised that the portrayal of superheroes as protectors and defenders likely led viewers to accept their violent actions as necessary for the greater good, which then translated into a willingness to help others,” the PsyPost website explained.
And while those who watched the superhero movie didn’t necessarily give out any more chocolate than those in the control group, the effects of the film on prosocial behaviour were observed through this increase in empathy.
“This suggests that feeling connected to the hero and understanding their motives could encourage viewers to be more generous and helpful in their real-world actions,” PsyPost added.
Although the researchers mainly surveyed young Brazilian adults, which may limit the scope of the results, the study nevertheless demonstrates the tangible positive impact of superhero movies, despite the violence they typically feature.
By identifying with the heroes and justifying their actions, viewers can be inspired to act more heroically in their daily lives. So, while not every hero wears a cape, movies like these can inspire us all to become everyday heroes.