Science fiction often involves worlds that are very different from our present reality, including things like technologies that are not yet available. This may introduce situations that our current moral system does not address. As a result, science fiction may activate one’s moral imagination, allowing for creative thinking beyond one’s current moral boundaries. That said, following a science fiction plot also demands mental effort to adapt to a story that may differ from our expectations and everyday experience. As a result, it is also possible that science fiction may drain one’s energy and reduce the likelihood of creative thinking, and greater moral imagination. Black and colleagues (2021) decided to explore whether watching science fictions TV shows (compared to realistic ones) impact moral imagination and creativity. Analyzing data from 221 participants, they found that for participants who watched science fiction, those who were more engaged also exhibited greater creativity and moral imagination after watching. The same was not true for those who watched realistic TV. There was also no evidence to suggest that watching science fiction had different effects on these outcomes compared to watching realistic TV (i.e., no main effect of condition). This valuable pre-registered experiment provides a strong template for future research on the effect of different genres.
Black J. E. & Barnes J. L. (2021) Pushing the Boundaries of Reality: Science Fiction, Creativity, and the Moral Imagination. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. 2021, Vol. 15, No. 2, 284-294. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/aca0000281
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