Hedonic Entertainment Research Articles

The longitudinal influence of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment preferences on psychological resilience and wellbeing

Narratives and media entertainment are central sources of meaningful experiences in everyday life and provide role models and learning opportunities for coping with adversity and life challenges. Though a growing body of research demonstrates beneficial short-term effects of entertainment use on recovery and stress coping, a test of longitudinal effects on positive adaptation to adversity is largely missing. The present study aims at providing a salutogenic perspective on the mental health effects of entertainment use by addressing the longitudinal relationship between hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment preferences (i.e., the individual entertainment diet) and three indicators of psychological resilience: hope, meaning in life, and trait resilience. Pre-registered hypotheses and research questions were tested based on data from a longitudinal panel study with two waves over a 6-month time period andN= 2,561 participants from Germany. The findings demonstrate that only meaning in life at T2 was significantly albeit weakly predicted by eudaimonic entertainment preferences at T1, providing limited support for prospective effects of entertainment use on resilience. In contrast, the data demonstrate selective exposure effects of hope and trait resilience at T1 on eudaimonic and hedonic entertainment preferences at T2. All three resilience indicators were significant predictors of mental health and psychological wellbeing. We discuss implications of our findings for future research on salutary mental health effects of narratives and media entertainment.

The More You Watch, the More You Get?

Abstract: It is a popular notion that binge-watching – watching several episodes of a TV show in one sitting – enhances entertainment experiences compared to watching singular episodes. However, empirical results are contradictory, and the assumption of such effects is not well founded in theory. We thus re-examined this claim with an experiment ( n = 80) and a field study using tracking data ( n = 47). In the experiment, binge-watching had slightly negative effects on transportation, hedonic entertainment, and valence, but a positive effect on arousal. In the field study, there were no differences between the two viewing modes. We thus conclude that binge-watching per se does not affect the entertainment experience. This finding aligns with other recent research showing that binge-watching does not differ much from conventional and low-intensity media use and thus calls into question the usefulness of defining binge-watching solely based on the number of episodes in one sitting.

Satirizing the Clothing Industry on YouTube: How Political Satire and User Comments Jointly Shape Behavioral Intentions

ABSTRACT Recently, scholars have started to investigate how the valence of user comments presented alongside online videos influences viewers’ experiences of and responses to those videos. The present experiment adds to this literature by investigating the role of user comments that accompany an online political satire video in particular. Moreover, it advances our knowledge of the effect of comments by investigating firstly how user comments shape viewers’ experiences of political satire and, secondly, how these experiences subsequently influence viewers’ behavioral intentions. The results show that the valence of comments influences viewers’ behavioral intentions and that this effect is mediated by viewers’ subjective knowledge gain and their eudaimonic entertainment experiences in response to the political satire video. Although the valence of comments also affects political satire viewers’ hedonic entertainment experiences, these specific entertainment experiences do not impact viewers’ behavioral intentions. These results show that comments do not only shape viewers’ experiences as they are watching political satire online, but they also have consequences for what viewers intent to do offline.

Online social environments and their impact on video viewers: The effects of user comments on entertainment experiences and knowledge gain during political satire consumption

Political satire is often consumed on online platforms (e.g. YouTube) and the effects of its consumption may be highly conditional on the user comments that are surrounding it. By manipulating the valence of comments (positive vs negative) and the focus of these comments (hedonic entertainment value vs eudaimonic entertainment value vs informative value), this pre-registered experiment investigates how user comments affect satire viewers’ hedonic entertainment experiences, their eudaimonic entertainment experiences, and their knowledge gain. Analyses showed that the valence of comments congruently affected viewers’ hedonic entertainment experiences, eudaimonic entertainment experiences, and subjective knowledge gain, but not their objective knowledge gain. In addition, the focus of user comments affected eudaimonic entertainment experiences and knowledge gain regardless of comments’ valence. This study’s findings advance our understanding of how viewers are affected when they consume media content that is surrounded by the comments of other viewers.

Hedonic and Utilitarian Motivations of Home Motion-Sensing Game Play Behavior in China: An Empirical Study.

As an important branch of video games and the integration of emerging motion-sensing technology, home motion-sensing games cannot only bring hedonic entertainment but also promote utilitarian benefits including exercise and social interaction for people to improve their physical and psychological health. As one of the most populous countries in the world, China has the largest number of households in the world but quite a low home game penetration rate due to the 13 year game industry winter for international enterprises. Whether Chinese customers have the intention of using motion-sensing games to improve their health status in the home environment will directly determine the commercial potential of the relevant industry in the Chinese market. In order to understand the motives of users and explore the market possibility and prospects of the game industry, this study adopts empirical research and structural equation modeling to construct a motivation model of Chinese consumers toward motion-sensing gameplay behavior in the household environment. We distributed 515 questionnaires to conduct a survey; 427 valid responses have been received, and 203 data, which meet the inclusion criteria of the required game experience, have been analyzed by SPSS25.0 and AMOS25.0. A structural equation model for the gameplay motivation has been constructed. The result shows that the three functional motivators, exercise (Path efficient = 0.40, p < 0.01), entertainment (Path efficient = 0.27, p < 0.01), and social interaction (Path efficient = 0.36, p < 0.01) of home motion-sensing games have a significantly positive impact on the user’s intention to play. Furthermore, the diversity and the time-and-place flexibility variables exert an important positive influence on the users’ gameplay behavior through their effects on the three main functional motive variables. To sum up, (1) exercise, (2) entertainment, and (3) social interaction are the main functional motivations of the Chinese consumers’ gameplay behaviors; (4) diversity and (5) time-and-place flexibility are the two main attribute motivators. The acceptance of Chinese users for home motion-sensing games remains positive and high. The motion-sensing game industry has broad market prospects in China through its potential in promoting consumer’s wellness and health in the home environment.

The effects of user comments on hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment experiences when watching online videos

Abstract Videos presented on social media platforms are frequently watched because people find them entertaining. However, videos on social media platforms are often presented together with user comments containing information about how entertaining previous viewers found them to be. This social information may affect people’s entertainment experiences. The goal of the present study was to explore how user comments affect viewers’ hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment experiences in response to online videos. The results of an online experiment (N = 203) showed that user comments in which previous viewers of a video indicate that they enjoyed or appreciated the video increase the hedonic entertainment experiences of new viewers. Viewers’ eudaimonic entertainment experiences were unaffected by user comments. These findings show that entertainment experiences do not emerge in response to online videos alone. Instead, they also depend on information about the entertainment experiences of previous viewers.

Culture and media entertainment: A cross-cultural exploration of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations

Recent studies have juxtaposed hedonic forms of media entertainment motivations (seeking for pleasure and fun) with eudaimonic forms (seeking for insights into the human condition). As most of this research was confined to the Western world so far, this contribution explores the impact of culture on hedonic and eudaimonic media entertainment motivations. Culture is conceptualized on both macro- and micro levels of analysis. On the macro level of countries, the study draws of Hofstede’s concept of individualism/collectivism. On the micro level of individuals, the study explores independent and interdependent self-construals and ethnic identity as potential influences on hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment. A survey was carried out with international students and non-students in Germany and Turkey ( N = 324). Cross-level operator analyses were calculated to explore relationships between cultural variables and hedonic/eudaimonic entertainment motivations. Results show consistently that variables of culture that tap into cultural belonging (collectivism, interdependence, and ethnic identity) are significant predictors of hedonic entertainment. Cultural variables that tap into distinctiveness and separation from one’s collective (individualism and independence) are significant predictors of eudaimonic entertainment. The study is among the first to explore the impact of cultural variability on entertainment motivations and thus especially relevant for sparking up a new line of research.

Testing Measurement Equivalence of Eudaimonic and Hedonic Entertainment Motivations in a Cross-cultural Comparison

Within Hofstede’s framework of individualistic and collectivistic cultures, this contribution examines measurement equivalence of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations in two different cultures, namely Germany representing a more individualistic culture (N = 180) and Turkey representing a more collectivistic culture (N = 97). By means of a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, we could secure configural invariance for both hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment motivations across the German and Turkish sample. Metric invariance, however, could only be obtained for hedonic, but not for eudaimonic motivations. Scalar invariance was obtained for neither of the two entertainment motivations. The study points to the importance of equivalence testing when conducting cross-cultural research.

Media Entertainment and Well-Being-Linking Hedonic and Eudaimonic Entertainment Experience to Media-Induced Recovery and Vitality

This paper explores the impact of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment experience on well-being. We propose that the satisfaction of recovery needs can provide an important link that connects recent 2-factor models of entertainment with well-being after media consumption. Using path modeling, relationships between hedonic/eudaimonic entertainment experiences, media-induced recovery experience, and vitality as a recovery outcome were explored in an experiment (N = 120). Results suggest that different recovery needs are satisfied by hedonic versus eudaimonic entertainment: Although hedonic entertainment experiences were associated with the recovery dimensions of relaxation and psychological detachment, eudaimonic entertainment was related to mastery experiences. Both entertainment facets, thus, lead to media-induced recovery and resulted in increased psychological well-being represented by higher levels of vitality after media use.

Seriously Entertained: Antecedents and Consequences of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Entertainment Experiences With Political Talk Shows on TV

This study's purpose is twofold: to introduce a new format into existing political entertainment research (“serious” political talk shows) and to establish a more specific definition of entertainment in a political context. To do so, the authors rely on a two-process-model of entertainment experiences. A telephone survey (N = 230) was conducted to analyze the antecedents and consequences of eudaimonic and hedonic entertainment experiences and to look into politically relevant variables and their distribution among viewers and nonviewers of such talk shows. The results highlight the importance of introducing new entertainment concepts and their relations to other relevant political and motivational variables into the research of political entertainment. More specifically, the findings demonstrate how entertainment experiences contribute to viewers' feeling of being informed and point out several differences between viewers and nonviewers concerning their internal political efficacy and political interest. Finally, looking at political talk shows from an audience perspective extends previous content-based taxonomies.

Beyond Pleasure: Exploring the Eudaimonic Entertainment Experience

We examine the notion of eudaimonic entertainment during exposure to a sad but meaningful movie, using a new measure consisting of 5 dimensions derived from research on positive psychology. We, thereby, transfer the conception of eudaimonic well-being to the conception of entertainment. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis show that the 5 dimensions can be further condensed into 2 second-order factors. We applied these new measures in a study in which the ending of a movie was manipulated (sad vs. happy). The results provide both discriminant and convergent validity and show that hedonic entertainment measures were affected by the manipulation, but that eudaimonic entertainment measures were unaffected. A second study provided further evidence for the validity of the construct.

Analysing the influence of the presentation of fashion garments on young consumers’ online behaviour

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the web experience elements that aid the interaction between the consumer and fashion garments online. Two elements have been identified, product viewing and fashion information online, and analysis of the effects of these elements and the influence they have on consumers’ behaviour and decision‐making process are explored.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data collection was employed utilising both photo‐elicitation and projective techniques during in‐depth interviews. Analysis of the elements is necessary to confirm how the cues are likely to affect the consumers’ interaction and influence the consumers’ shopping experience. Focus is placed on hedonic and utilitarian effects and purchase intentions towards fashion apparel investigating young consumers in reference to online retailing.FindingsIt is evident from the interviews that the two elements create very different experiences for the consumer with regards to viewing fashion online, the first area identified functional product viewing, allows the consumer to personalise how they view and interact with the garment stimulating more utilitarian effects, whilst the second area, aesthetic fashion information is driven by the retailer providing advice and information about the garments stimulating hedonic effects. Online fashion retailers must sufficiently intertwine hedonic entertainment with practical utilitarianism to provide a satisfying online shopping experience.Originality/valueThis research provides an examination into the complex area of interaction with garments online and its link to fashion‐related consumer behaviour. This study makes an important contribution to the literature to date, and raises additional questions for future research.