Media Influence and Health

When people become absorbed in a story—whether a novel, film, or health campaign—their guard against persuasion often lowers, and their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors can shift in ways that direct argument rarely achieves. Scholars working at the intersection of literary theory, communication, and psychology study how mechanisms like narrative transportation, character identification, and emotional response explain why fiction and entertainment media can change how audiences think about health risks, medical decisions, and social norms. The practical stakes are significant: entertainment-education initiatives have used these insights to embed health messages in soap operas, podcasts, and interactive narratives, sometimes with measurable effects on vaccination uptake or disease screening. Open questions center on which emotional experiences—empathy, awe, enjoyment—drive lasting behavior change versus temporary attitude shifts, and how individual differences in reading habits or media engagement moderate who is persuaded and who is not.

Works

40,446

Total citations

507,233

Keywords

Narrative PersuasionTransportationIdentificationEmotionEntertainment-EducationAwe