Elevation (Sometimes) Increases Altruism: Choice and Number of Outcomes in Elevating Media Effects

Elevation is a feeling of meaningfulness and poignancy, which makes people feel more connected to humanity. The experience of elevation often arises as a result of media narratives, usually those that depict moral virtue or connectedness. Elevating media has a number of positive effects on media consumers, both emotionally and behaviorally. The present study expands on previous research by exploring the mechanisms underlying the behaviors associated with elevating media and identifying the variables that moderate these outcomes. In a randomized experiment, participants were assigned to watch either an elevating or a nonelevating but positive film clip. Perceived choice in the media experience was also manipulated, and perceived choice moderated the effects of film clip type, such that participants who believed they had chosen the elevating media were more altruistic in a noise-blast task than those who were not given a choice. However, this reversed in a subsequent task, where those who chose elevating media pledged fewer raffle winnings to charity. The differences between spontaneous and deliberative behaviors are discussed, as are possible mechanisms for the link between exposure to elevating media and behavior, including goal activation and elevating emotions.