Abstract:
The aim of this experimental study was to examine if children can experience meaningfulness
after watching a meaningful movie and whether positive parental mediation can increase this
effect. This experiment involves 82 children (M = 10.83; SD = 1.098) and 59 parents (M =
46.49; SD = 5.174). Children and parents in the experimental condition were exposed to a
meaningful movie, namely Coco, while participants in the control condition were exposed to a
comparable, but less meaningful movie, named Despicable Me 3. Afterwards, meaningful
experiences and parental mediation are assessed by filling in a questionnaire. A regression
analysis revealed that children exposed to the meaningful movie indeed experienced
significantly more meaningfulness than children exposed to the less meaningful movie. Further,
regression analysis showed a significant positive effect of parental mediation on the extent to
which children experienced meaningfulness. However, this parental mediation did not increase
the effect of meaningful movies on meaningful experiences. These empirical findings are the
first to reveal that watching meaningful movies and positive parental mediation can lead to
meaningful experiences by children.
Keywords: positive media psychology, eudaimonia, meaningfulness, parental mediation,
children, and morality.
