Inspiring Stories Reduce Stress (and More)
I recently saw Project Hail Mary and loved it. I was a big fan of the book so I was excited to see it on the big screen, and it did not disappoint. It is science fiction but at its core it is an inspiring story driven by hope, resilience, and an unlikely friendship. And you do not need to be a sci-fi fan to be moved by it. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, I highly recommend both.
More than ever, I find myself drawn to stories of people overcoming barriers, beating the odds, and achieving something many thought was impossible. I am generally a pretty hopeful person to begin with, but given all the cynicism and pessimism that seems to dominate so much of our culture right now, I really appreciate it when I come across a story that recognizes human potential and what is possible when we put agency into action.
But stories like these are more than entertainment. As I have discussed in previous newsletters, inspiring media can motivate us to act. Research shows that the vast majority of Americans report being moved or inspired by films, and the more inspiring media people consume, the more inclined they are to engage in prosocial behavior. But this kind of media may not only help us do good for others. New research suggests it is also good for our own psychological health.
A new study published in Psychology of Popular Media tested what happens when people are assigned to watch short inspiring videos every day for a week. In a four-week experiment with over 1,000 U.S. adults, participants were randomly assigned to watch inspiring videos depicting people overcoming adversity, watch comedic videos, engage in guided meditation using a popular app, use their phones as they normally would during a break, or serve as a no-media control group. Each daily dose was only about five minutes. The researchers then measured stress levels up to ten days after the intervention ended.
Compared to a no-media control group, the inspiring videos reduced stress. So did meditation. Comedy did not have the same lasting effect. Neither did casual phone scrolling. Perhaps most notably, the inspiring media produced stress-relieving benefits comparable to meditation, a popular and well-supported strategy for managing stress.
Why did inspiring media work? The researchers were specifically interested in the role of hope. Previous research identifies hope as a psychological resource that helps people set goals, take action, and navigate difficult circumstances. The researchers selected inspiring videos featuring people overcoming adversity because these kinds of stories are most likely to evoke hope. And that is exactly what happened. Participants who watched the inspiring videos reported feeling more hopeful after each viewing, and that hope appears to have been the key mechanism driving the stress reduction. Meditation also reduced stress through hope, which is consistent with research finding that meditation can boost hope.
So inspiring media motivates us to engage with others and do good in the world. And it also reduces our own stress. Both of these findings are especially relevant right now given that a major source of stress in our country is the feeling that we are divided and disconnected from one another. The most recent Stress in America survey from the American Psychological Association found that 62% of U.S. adults say societal division is a significant source of stress and three quarters say they are more stressed about the future of the nation than they used to be. Research on hope finds that hopeful people are more trusting, more tolerant, more forgiving, and more motivated to serve their communities. Hope does not just reduce stress. It moves us to connect with others in ways that can help bridge the very divisions causing so much stress.
We need more inspiring stories in our culture. Not because they offer a feel-good escape from reality but because the evidence increasingly shows that they build the psychological resources that help us manage stress, take meaningful action, and contribute to the wellbeing of those around us.
Have a great weekend!
Clay