ABSTRACT Art inhabits the imagination, but can it influence real‐world issues? While some scholars cast art as autonomous from moral and civic life, others see it as deeply entangled with the social world. We address this debate by synthesizing evidence on art's social influence across literature, music, visual art, and film. We organize findings across four domains—civic engagement, gender equality, intergroup relations, and environmental conservation—and highlight psychological levers through which effects emerge. Our review reveals that art can shape attitudes and behavior, but not always for the greater good. Counter‐stereotypical works and prosocial content often shift norms and broaden moral concerns, while degrading or status‐quo‐affirming content can entrench social divides. We outline priorities for future research: isolating art‐specific effects, probing harmful outcomes, testing the durability and real‐world impact of effects, and developing an integrative framework to clarify when, how, and for whom art moves behavior in the social world.
Stamkou et al. (2026) studied this question.