"It strikes a chord within me": a mixed-method exploration of existential resonance in eudaimonic entertainment experiences

Research demonstrates how entertainment can promote self-exploration and coping through portrayals that resonate with audiences on concrete, biographical levels (i.e., social resonance). We contend that entertainment can also foster resonance through abstract content and themes that celebrate aspects of an individual's global meaning system (i.e., existential resonance). We first tested this idea through a thematic analysis of personal essays (n = 54) describing eudaimonic experiences with films featuring portrayals of moral beauty. The results provided initial support for our contention, revealing that many respondents resonated exclusively with themes that venerated their core values. Inspired by the qualitative insights from Study 1, we examined the intercorrelations among moral identity, existential resonance, elevation, and the moral ideal self in a second study (online survey; n = 236). The findings revealed significant positive intercorrelations, offering preliminary insights into potential upward spirals of moral functioning in the context of positive media psychology.