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Empathy, Validation, and Branding: Testing the Theory of Empathetic Suffering
Yi Liao1, Dallin R Adams2, Camilla M Owens1
1Department of Communication, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United State.
Abstract:
Research shows narratives can evoke empathy, but studies on specific narrative features and cognitive mechanisms consistently eliciting empathy are needed. To address that need, the current study proposes and tests a theory of empathetic suffering which postulates that the depiction of character distress influences attitudes and intentions via two mechanisms: empathy and validation. Two experiments with U.S. adults (N = 219 and N = 372) tested this theory using a 30-second ad depicting or not depicting character distress. Results from both studies strongly supported the theory, with empathy and validation mediating the effects of distress on attitudes and intentions.
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