Social Media Influencers, Emotional Flow, and Elevation Uplift Narrative Persuasion on Mental Health Prosocial Communication: A Media Psychophysiology Approach

Yen-I Lee (PhD Alum) [PI], Di Mu [Co-PI], Michaela Gearty (AdPR undergraduate researcher) [Co-PI], and Yan Jin [Co-PI]. “Social Media Influencers, Emotional Flow, and Elevation Uplift Narrative Persuasion on Mental Health Prosocial Communication: A Media Psychophysiology Approach.” $5,000 grant from Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication.

Abstract: Among all age groups, young adults, especially Generation Z, are suffering from mental illness the most, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic (National Institutes of Mental Health [NIMH], 2022). More than ninety percent of Generation Z in the United States had experienced either emotional or physical symptoms of mental illness because of stress in their lives (American Psychological Association [APA], 2018). Previous studies found that influencers could effectively raise awareness of mental health issues via social media with their followers (Forster & Journeay, 2022). Furthermore, research has shown that narratives involving emotional shifts (Nabi & Green, 2015) enhance persuasion and the elevation of emotion can motivate people to help others for social good (Haidt, 2000; Oliver et al., 2012). However, limited studies examined how people cognitively and emotionally process the narrative messages involving emotional flow, elevation, and public figures on social media and how their cognitive and emotional processing may impact their mental health prosocial behaviors online and offline. To fill the theoretical and practical gaps, we propose a two-phase study combining a content analysis and a laboratory experiment using psychophysiology measurement to examine how narrative videos with emotional flow and elevation features impact online engagement as well as how young adults’ unconscious cognitive and emotional responses to these narratives, as well as how social media influencers motivate young adults to take positive prosocial behavior about mental health. The findings will provide theoretical and practical insights to advance effective and ethical prosocial communication about mental health for communication scholars, practitioners, and organizations.