Appreciation and Enjoyment of Meaningful Entertainment: The Role of Mortality Salience and Search for Meaning in Life

Hofer, Matthias

doi:10.1027/1864-1105/a000089

Cited by 59Media Influence and HealthDeath Anxiety and Social ExclusionAesthetic Perception and Analysis

Appreciation and Enjoyment of Meaningful Entertainment: The Role of Mortality Salience and Search for Meaning in Life

Hofer, Matthias·2013·Journal of Media Psychology

DOI 10.1027/1864-1105/a000089

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Abstract

Appreciation is an audience response associated with entertainment portrayals concerned with the meaning of life and human existence. Appreciation has been shown to be conceptually and empirically different from enjoyment, which is characterized as pleasure and fun. Drawing upon terror management theory, this research investigates first the influence of reminders of one’s own death on appreciation and enjoyment of a meaningful film and second, the influence of the search for meaning in one’s life on these outcomes. Results of an experimental study (N = 60) showed that mortality salience increased appreciation of a meaningful film, but only for those who rated highly for search for meaning in life. Concerning enjoyment, a reverse pattern was found: Participants who intensely search for meaning in their lives enjoyed the film when their own mortality had not been made salient before watching. Results are discussed in the light of theoretical considerations about entertainment experiences and meaning.

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When mortality is salient, individuals are particularly likely to appreciate a meaningful film, especially if they highly value search for meaning in life, and to respond emotionally to a tragic literary excerpt.
“there is evidence that when mortality is salient, individuals are particularly likely to appreciate a meaningful film (Rieger, Frischlich, Hö gden, Kauf, Schramm, & Tappe, 2015), notably if they highly evaluated search for meaning in life (Hofer, 2013), and to respond emotionally to a tragic literary excerpt (Goldenberg, Pyszczynski, Johnson, Greenberg, & Solomon, 1999).”
From An Integrative Terror Management Theory Perspective on Media Effects: A Model and 12 Hypotheses for Research (2016) · cites this paper as Hofer, 2013

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Authors: Hofer, M.
Affiliations: University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Venue: Journal of Media Psychology
Publisher: Hogrefe Publishing Group
Published: 2013-01-01
Volume: 25
Issue: 3
Pages: 109-117
ISSN: 1864-1105 (ISSN-L)
2151-2388
DOI: 10.1027/1864-1105/a000089
OpenAlex: W1813144119
Cited by: 59
References: 43
Citations by year: 2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2
FWCI: 50.52
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications (publishedVersion)
Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion)
Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
Keywords: appreciation, enjoyment, mortality salience, terror management theory, search for meaning in life, film viewing, fear of death, audience response

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Appreciation and Enjoyment of Meaningful Entertainment: The Role of Mortality Salience and Search for Meaning in Life

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