Appreciation in the Face of Death: Meaningful Films Buffer Against Death-Related Anxiety: Meaningful Media as Death Anxiety Buffer
Abstract
Entertainment media are found to evoke appreciation when they deal with topics such as moral virtues, values, or questions of sense in life. Drawing upon terror management theory, we question whether meaningful media can also serve as anxiety buffer shielding against the threat of death, as they transport cultural worldviews and enhance self-esteem among recipients. Results of an experimental study (N = 122) confirmed that participants under mortality salience appreciated a meaningful movie more than participants in a control condition. Further, only a meaningful movie, not a pleasurable or an informative film, decreased the necessity to activate further anxiety buffers after mortality salience. The findings are discussed in relation to entertainment media as means to handle existential fears.
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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 Rieger et al., 2015
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Self-transcendent media experiences: taking meaningful media to a higher level.
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Death primes in advertisements: how international advertisers can ensure their message is effective
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- Authors
- Rieger, D., Frischlich, L., Högden, F., Kauf, R., Schramm, K., & Tappe, E.
- Affiliations
- University of Mannheim (DE)
- University of Cologne (DE)
- Venue
- Journal of Communication
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2015-03-18
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 351-372
- ISSN
- 0021-9916 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1835625998
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 15.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Communication (publishedVersion)
- Kölner Universitäts PublikationsServer (Universität zu Köln) (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Film in Education and Therapy
- Keywords
- mortality salience, fear of death, terror management theory, entertainment media, cinema, self-esteem, existential fear, cultural worldview
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