Gender and Empathy Differences in Negative Reactions to Fictionalized and Real Violent Images

Abstract

Research suggests that exposure to graphic violence commonly causes unpleasant emotional reactions. Further, research shows that fictional violence may be more palatable than real violence. We explored whether/why fictional content might lead to weaker aversive reactions than real content. In this experiment (N = 200), we manipulated the perceived reality of violence to determine whether a fictional context leads to reduced aversion, and we examined if gender and empathy could moderate this effect. We found that negative reactions were significantly lower when participants perceived the scenes as fictional. Males in particular experienced lessened aversive states in fictional conditions.

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