Researchers from the Federal University of Paraiba in Brazil looked into whether superhero adventures on the big screen can nudge people toward helping others. The work suggests that popular superhero narratives may spark prosocial intentions in viewers, even when the scenes involve danger and conflict. The researchers describe a potential link between cinematic storytelling and everyday generosity, noting that media effects on behavior are nuanced and shaped by how stories present heroism and moral choices. Findings were reported in a psychology journal focused on social behavior and emotion, underscoring an effort to ground entertainment experiences in scientific observation.
Superhero films are often filled with high-intensity action and violence. Yet scholars wonder if those dramatic moments can lead to positive outcomes like generosity rather than heightened aggression, and this study sought to test that possibility through controlled experiments.
The researchers conducted two separate experiments, each with two hundred participants who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group.
In the experimental condition, participants watched a clip from the 2016 film Batman v Superman in which Batman confronts armed villains to rescue a hostage. The scene was chosen for its blend of violent action and a clear pro-social objective, highlighting a life saved as the central motivation.
The control group viewed a neutral video featuring colored shapes forming patterns, a visually engaging but emotionally neutral stimulus designed to provide a stable baseline for comparison.
After viewing, participants completed a prosocial behavior task. They were told they would help a future study by distributing chocolate chips to future participants, and the amount each person allocated served as a practical measure of their willingness to act for others.
The researchers also assessed participants’ levels of empathy using a scale that captures three distinct types: emotional empathy, the sharing of another’s feelings; cognitive empathy, the ability to understand another’s perspective; and relational empathy, the degree of identification with a character in the video.
In the second experiment, an additional measure was added: moral justification. Participants were asked to rate whether Batman’s violent actions were justified, using statements such as whether the protagonist’s actions were necessary or whether there was no other way to handle the situation.
In the first study, viewers who watched the superhero scene reported higher empathy than those in the control group. They showed increased associative empathy, identifying more strongly with Batman and his mission to save humanity. This identification with the hero emerged as an important factor that indirectly raised prosocial behavior.
Although participants in the experimental group did not share more chocolate than the control group on average, the film’s impact appeared through heightened empathy. This suggests that feeling connected to a character and understanding his or her motives can promote generosity and helpful actions in real life.
Earlier researchers sometimes drew parallels to Spider-Man’s web, a reminder that media science evolves as the field refines how narratives influence behavior. The current findings emphasize the subtle ways in which narrative cues shape empathy and social action, suggesting that viewers absorb moral reasons for helping others through compelling character-driven stories.