Appreciation and Eudaimonic Reactions to Media

Abstract

Entertainment has historically been associated with enjoyment. Yet, many experiences considered under the label of entertainment are not particularly enjoyable for viewers, and may instead evoke feelings of sadness, pensiveness, or mixed affect. Attempting to answer the question of why audiences would select media which do not promote hedonic pleasure, researchers have suggested that appreciation may better describe the experience of liking media which provokes mixed affect. Appreciation of media is thought to promote long‐term goals such as life improvement and self‐betterment, in line with the philosophical concept of eudaimonia. This entry examines appreciation‐based responses to media in terms of short‐ and long‐term outcomes.

The effects of cultural source sensitivity on music appreciation

“…A high EA score suggests that the music was considered rich in contrast, complex, and imaginative. The concept of eudaimonia has been featured in recent discussions of media appreciation (Eden, 2020; Oliver & Bartsch, 2016), and is used here to denote a form of appreciation that arises when the listener’s expectations are challenged rather than met. In the past, studies have connected eudaimonia to more “meaningful” experiences, as well as individuals with “more contemplative and reflective tendencies” (Oliver & Raney, 2011).…”

Paths to transformation across contemporary reading practices: The role of motivations and genre preferences.

“…To answer this question, Oliver and Raney have theorized and measured most entertainment consumption as driven by both pleasure-seeking (hedonism) and meaning-seeking (eudaimonia) motivations, thus challenging a longlasting conceptualization that viewed entertainment as a means of experiencing enjoyment and considered the appreciation of "sad" stories as somewhat paradoxical (Oliver & Raney, 2011). Oliver and Raney's perspective is now widely adopted within media psychology (Eden, 2020). The eudaimonic dimension associated with meaningfulness and insight is recognized alongside the hedonic dimension associated in turn with pleasure and positive valence.…”