Work

Empathy, Validation, and Branding: Testing the Theory of Empathetic Suffering

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Research shows narratives can evoke empathy, but studies on specific narrative features and cognitive mechanisms consistently eliciting empathy are needed. To address that need, the current study proposes and tests a theory of empathetic suffering which postulates that the depiction of character distress influences attitudes and intentions via two mechanisms: empathy and validation. Two experiments with U.S. adults (N = 219 and N = 372) tested this theory using a 30-second ad depicting or not depicting character distress. Results from both studies strongly supported the theory, with empathy and validation mediating the effects of distress on attitudes and intentions.

Source: Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media

DOI: 10.1080/08838151.2025.2462598

Authors: Yi Liao, Dallin R. Adams, Camilla M. Owens, Jakob D. Jensen

Institutions: University of Utah, Sam Houston State University

Language: English

Topic: Media Influence and Health

Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Awards: G3683682291, G858682239