Superhero movies can encourage prosocial behaviour, researchers say

A scene from Zack Snyder's “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) was used in the Brazilian study. Image: Warner Bros.©

From Spider-Man to Superman to Captain Marvel, superheroes are adored by young and old alike, and their values can have a genuine impact. According to a new Brazilian study, superhero movies can promote prosocial behavior despite the onscreen violence that usually accompanies their activities.

Who hasn't dreamed of donning a cape and saving the world? If kids might love dressing up as superheroes after seeing the latest Spider-Man or Batman movie, they might also adopt the same kind of heroic behavior, research suggests.

The study, entitled "Superhero Films' Impacts on Prosocial Behavior: The Mediating Role of State-Empathy and Violence Justification," published in The Journal of Psychology, involved 200 Brazilians, who were divided into two groups: a study group and a control group. 

The study group watched a 3-minute, 47-second scene from the 2016 “Batman v Superman” movie, in which Batman fights several villains to rescue a captured character. The scene illustrates both the violence typical of this kind of film and the heroic, protective aspect of their actions. In contrast, the control group watched a neutral video with no violent or prosocial content.

Increased empathy

After viewing, participants were asked to perform a prosocial task, i.e. an action aimed at helping others. The aim was to assess their altruistic behavior when distributing chocolate to other participants.

While those who watched the superhero movie didn’t necessarily give out any more chocolate than those in the control group, the effects of the film on prosocial behavior were observed through an increase in empathy: “This suggests that feeling connected to the hero and understanding their motives could encourage viewers to be more generous and helpful in their real-world actions,” explains the PsyPost website.

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The researchers also assessed participants' levels of empathy. They used a scale measuring three types of empathy: affective empathy (sharing another person's emotions), cognitive empathy (understanding another person's point of view) and associative empathy (identifying with the character in the video). The researchers report that viewers who watched the movie scene reported higher levels of empathy than participants in the control group. The most empathetic identified more with the Batman character and his mission.

They also had to decide on the morality of Batman's actions. Participants were asked to decide whether these violent actions were justified. Once again, viewers who considered the actions of the Gotham City hero to be morally right were more inclined to adopt altruistic, even helpful, behavior. "The researchers theorized that the portrayal of superheroes as protectors and defenders likely led viewers to accept their violent actions as necessary for the greater good, which then translated into a willingness to help others," explains PsyPost.

Although the researchers mainly surveyed young Brazilian adults, which may limit the scope of the results, the study nevertheless demonstrates the tangible positive impact of superhero movies, despite the violence they typically feature. By identifying with the heroes and justifying their actions, viewers can be inspired to act more heroically in their daily lives. So, while not every hero wears a cape, movies like these can inspire us all to become everyday heroes.