Title: Emotion, enjoyment, empathy and identification with characters in cinema

Authors: Miguel Herrero Herrero; María Pilar Jiménez Sánchez

Addresses: School of Psychology, The National Distance Education University (UNED), C/ de Juan del Rosal, 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain ' School of Psychology, The National Distance Education University (UNED), C/ de Juan del Rosal, 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Abstract: It has been theorised that one of the main explanatory factors for the enjoyment of narrative formats such as cinema is identification with the characters. However, there is little research on it. In this way, we present a quantitative study on the relationships between identification with the characters, empathy, the affective state and the processes of reception and impact of the cinematographic drama. We studied the affective impact of a dramatic film (Cuerdas) in a sample of 50 university students (25 men and 25 women). One of the most relevant aspects of this research is having contrasted the importance of empathy and identification with the characters when it comes to predicting enjoyment and the affective impact caused by viewing a short film. Another of the main contributions of this study is related to the measurement of enjoyment. We have considered enjoyment as a multidimensional construct, an aspect that other investigations have not considered.

Keywords: entertainment; effects of emotion; transportation theory; persuasion; information processing; cognition.

DOI: 10.1504/IJART.2023.133668

International Journal of Arts and Technology, 2023 Vol.14 No.4, pp.320 - 332

Received: 06 Dec 2022
Accepted: 31 May 2023
Published online: 28 Sep 2023 *