Do tragic movies about death make you think? Exploring effects of the role of death in the narrative structure of eudaimonic movies on viewers’ reflection, death attitudes, and posttraumatic growth

TL;DR

This study explores how the placement of death in movie narratives affects viewers' reflection and attitudes toward death.

Contribution

It identifies that the narrative role of death influences reflection, particularly when viewers are reminded of a loved one's death.

Findings

Movies where death is the resolution decreased reflection for viewers reminded of a loved one's death.

Narrative structure and mortality reminders had no effect on death attitudes or posttraumatic growth.

The study clarifies conditions under which eudaimonic movies influence viewer reflection.

Abstract

Reflection has been found to play an important role in the effects of eudaimonic movies, but it is yet unclear which features of movies stimulate viewers’ reflection. This study tests whether the role of death in the narrative structure of movies about death affects viewers’ reflection and, subsequently, their attitudes towards death and posttraumatic growth. In a between-subjects experiment, participants watched two short movies in which death was either the triggering event, occurring at the beginning of the movies, or the resolution, occurring at the end of the movies. Prior to watching, viewers were reminded of their own death, the death of a loved one, or of eating breakfast (control condition). Their reflection, attitudes towards death, and posttraumatic growth were measured after watching. The results showed that for people who had been reminded of the death of a loved one, movies in which death was the resolution decreased reflection in the sense that viewers found the movies less thought provoking. No effects were found of narrative structure and mortality reminders on viewers’ death attitudes and posttraumatic growth. These results add to our understanding of how and when eudaimonic movies do and do not affect viewers’ reflection, death attitudes, and growth.

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