Exploring the Role of Identification and Moral Disengagement in the Enjoyment of an Antihero Television Series

Affective disposition theory explains well the process of enjoying hero narratives but not the appeal of narratives featuring antiheroes. Recent antihero studies suggest that character identification and moral disengagement might be important factors in the enjoyment of such fare. The current study builds on this work. A sample of 101 self-identified fans and nonfans of the television series 24 viewed a condensed version of Season 1, providing evaluation of various protagonist perceptions, moral judgments, and emotional responses to the narrative, as well as overall enjoyment. As expected, fans reported greater liking of the protagonist and greater enjoyment. But more importantly, regression analyses illuminated key differences between the groups in terms of the factors predicting enjoyment, providing a clearer picture of how we enjoy antihero narratives

Debonding analysis via digital volume correlation during in-situ pull-out tests on fractal fibers

The quantification of debonding was performed for additively manufactured “fractal” fibers embedded within two brittle matrices. Three pull-out tests were carried out inside of an X-ray tomograph allowing for Digital Volume Correlation analyses. Relative motions at the interfaces were measured thanks to adapted meshes with split nodes. Profiles of normal, tangential and vertical displacement jumps as well as vertical strains in the fibers were used to study interfacial debonding. An articulated load transfer mechanism between the fiber and the matrix was observed in the examined tests, as demonstrated by zigzagged distributions of vertical displacement jumps and vertical strain profiles in the fibers at the initial stages of pull-out. Vertical strain concentrations were observed in correspondence to lateral protrusions (or ribs) of the reinforcing fibers. These results suggest that fiber–matrix interlocking may be affected by geometry-driven tensile stiffening effects between the ribs. For larger values of pull-out displacements, more diffuse damage of the fiber–matrix interface was observed between the ribs, especially in plaster matrices

Publishing Our Own Work: Contributing to the Professional Literature Through Systematizing Sharing of Library Reports

Library employees often work on teams, committees, or task forces to do research, and investigation as part of their responsibilities in carrying out the operations of a library; however, much of this work is not published in the professional literature and is only inconsistently recorded in committee documents. As such, this work is hidden both from others in the library who might use it and from the profession at large, meaning that other libraries were not able to benefit from it. To address these challenges, the University of Illinois Library (Urbana‐Champaign) established the Library Occasional Reports Series (LibORS) in 2015. This paper presents a case study of the ongoing process of establishing LibORS. Phases of work included exploring what it would mean to commit to publishing and promoting the University Library’s work as an organizational practice as well as creating workflows, acquisition criteria, editorial guidelines, a report template, and communication mechanisms

Model of Inspiring Media

Scholars have increasingly explored the ways that media content can touch, move, and inspire audiences, leading to numerous beneficial outcomes including increased feelings of connectedness to and heightened motivations for doing good for others. Although this line of inquiry is relatively new, sufficient evidence and patterns of results have emerged such that a clearer picture of the inspiring media experience is coming into focus. This article has two primary goals. First, we seek to synthesize the existing research into a working and evolving model of inspiring media experiences reflecting five interrelated and symbiotic elements: exposure, message factors, responses, outcomes, and personal/situational factors. The model also identifies theoretical mechanisms underlying the previously observed positive effects. Secondly, the article explores situations in which, and precipitating factors present, when these hoped-for outcomes either fail to materialize or result in negative or maladaptive responses and outcomes. Ultimately, the model is proposed as a heuristic roadmap for future scholarship and as an invitation for critique and collaboration in the emerging field of positive media psychology

Sick and grumpy: changes in social behaviour after a controlled immune stimulation in group-housed gilts

Poor health is associated with an increased risk of tail biting outbreaks in pigs. We propose that this is because illness changes social dynamics either by changing the behaviour of the sick pig towards its penmates, the behaviour of the healthy penmates towards the sick pig, or both. We tested the effect of immune stimulation (lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection: O111:B4; 1.5 mu g kg(-1) IV) on social behaviour in gilts housed in triplets in a cross-over experiment. Each pen was subjected to the control treatment (all three pigs injected with saline) and then LPS treatment (one pig injected with LPS, two injected with saline), or vice versa. LPS injected pigs had a shift in social motivation and performed more tail- and ear- directed behaviour than saline pigs two days after injection. They seemed to fit the description of 'sick and grumpy'. This change was seen about 40 h after the signs of acute illness dissipated and was not accompanied by a similar increase in activity. We discuss possible mechanisms for this behavioural change in light of changes in neurotransmitter levels at three days after LPS injection described in a previous experiment.Peer reviewe

Profiling the Audience for Self-Transcendent Media: A National Survey

This article reports the findings from a national survey of self-transcendent (or inspiring) media audience members in the United States. Exposure to self-transcendent content is socially significant because, theoretically, it can orient users towards matters beyond themselves, ultimately promoting connections with others and altruistic behaviors. However, to date, little is known about the daily audiences for such fare. Four primary questions guided the investigation: (1) What are the media sources and contents identified as “inspiring” by the audience?, (2) Who makes up the current U.S. audience for self-transcendent media content?, (3) What personality traits and viewer characteristics are associated with self-transcendent media consumption?, and (4) What prosocial and altruistic behaviors are associated with self-transcendent media consumption? To address these questions, a nationally representative survey (n = 3,006) was conducted. The findings are discussed in relation to the growing body of scholarship on positive media psychology

Exploring the Spirit in U.S. Audiences: The Role of the Virtue of Transcendence in Inspiring Media Consumption

Little is yet known about audiences who routinely seek out media content that is inspirational in nature. The current study expands the research on inspirational media by utilizing a nationally representative sample of U.S. audiences (n = 2,016) to explore relationships between inspiring media exposure, trait transcendence, and self-transcendent emotions. Results show that media content is a reliable source for everyday self-transcendent emotional experiences in U.S. audiences. These experiences are most frequently encountered by persons with high levels of trait spirituality and gratitude. The profile of U.S. audiences that seek out inspiring media is discussed

Inspiration on Social Media: Applying an Entertainment Perspective to Longitudinally Explore Mental Health and Well-Being

The conditions under which social media use impacts well-being and mental health are complex. The current 10-day longitudinal quasi-experiment (student sample, N = 111) applied an entertainment theory lens to explore the effects of active posting and engaging with hedonic or inspiring Facebook content (vs. passive browsing) on young people’s eudaimonic well-being (levels of connectedness to humanity, love, compassion, presence of meaning) and mental health (anxiety and depressive symptoms). The results provide tentative evidence that finding and sharing inspiring content to a Facebook group increased love and compassion toward others over time. It also led to more compassion at the end of the study compared to participants who shared hedonic content. Although we did not find an increase in connectedness and meaningfulness over time for participants sharing content that they found inspiring, the latter also did not take away from those experiences, regardless of how they used it. Similarly, no decrease—but also no increase—in anxiety and depressive symptoms were found over time, regardless of condition. The study stresses the importance of better understanding the content young adults engage with on social media for their mental health and well-being

Spreading the Good News: Analyzing Socially Shared Inspirational News Content

Past research indicates that people often share awe-inspiring news online. However, little is known about the content of those stories. In this study, more broadly defined “inspirational” articles shared through The New York Times website over a 6-month period were analyzed, with the goals of describing the content and identifying characteristics that might predict inspirationality and measures of retransmission. The results provided a snapshot of content found within inspirational news stories; they also revealed that self-transcendent language use predicted the inspirationality of a news story, as well as how long an article appeared on a most shared list