Funny and meaningful: media messages that are humorous and moving provide optimal consolation in corona times

Abstract

Abstract During the first months of the corona crisis, people worldwide produced and shared thousands of uplifting (e.g., humorous, moving) media messages. The six studies reported here empirically tested the consolatory effects of viewing such positive media messages in the US, The Netherlands, and the UK. I compared the impact of humorous and moving (i.e., touching, heartwarming) messages, as they provide different kinds of well-being: hedonic versus eudaimonic. Studies 1–3 had correlational designs. Largely in line with the hedonic versus eudaimonic well-being framework, the results suggested that humorous messages lift people’s spirits by providing pleasure, while moving messages lift people’s spirits by providing realism, optimism, and by illustrating core human values. Studies 4–6 used a pre- and post-measure of negative and positive emotions. The results showed that viewing non-moving humorous messages significantly reduced negative emotions but did not increase positive emotions. Viewing non-humorous moving messages reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions in the US and UK, but not in The Netherlands. Finally, viewing messages that are both humorous and moving reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions in all samples, implying they are particularly valuable as mood-enhancers during crises. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.