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Humorous and eudaimonic entertainment are often treated as theoretically distinct media experiences. Prior research has examined unique outcomes of meaningful entertainment, including making sense of difficulties (MSOD), connectedness, and helping intentions. The present study (N = 275) experimentally manipulated the presence of humor in a film about cancer to examine how humor relates to these outcomes. Results show that, through the mechanisms of character identification and cancer anxiety, humor experiences positively predict MSOD and feelings of connectedness. This study also presents preliminary findings on a new measure of character coping humor that may be more suitable for use in poignant or somber message contexts. Future research directions concerning the role of moving humor are discussed.
Wilson et al. (Fri,) studied this question.