Strangely enough, not a great deal of research has been conducted into how stories can help children and adolescents in their development, says Rebecca de Leeuw, who is a researcher in the field of positive media psychology. But this is something that she has done with the help of three of her colleagues and 66 children aged between four to fifteen years of age.
The participants in the study watched the Disney · Pixar film Inside Out. This film centres on Riley, who must find her feet after she has moved to a new home. In the film, we primarily see what is going on inside her head and how her emotions try to help her. Her emotions all take the form of ‘characters’. After watching, the children were interviewed about this film, but other stories from the media were also discussed.
Four ways in which stories can be meaningful
The findings showed that in addition to being humorous, fun, and suspenseful, films can also be meaningful in the following four ways:
#1- Films can increase social intelligence. When they are watching a film, children and adolescents are constantly trying to understand the characters’ behaviour. For this purpose, they use their empathy or social intelligence. Sometimes something will happen that they don’t understand and it will get them thinking. With the help of others or by simply watching the film again, they will be able to work out what is going on and this will consequently increase their social intelligence. In other words: stories can make you socially more intelligent.
#2- Films provide the opportunity to see (moral) beauty. Children and adolescents appreciated it when characters showed compassion, kindness, love, and bravery. For example, many children and adolescents really loved the fact that the character Bing Bong sacrificed himself and they were moved by his gesture. In order to be able to experience this, it is important that children and adolescents understand why Bing Bong did what he did. Children and adolescents also need to be able to experience two different feelings at the same time. The research study showed that the age at which children can be moved by such an act of moral beauty is around eight years old.
#3- Movies can provide the inspiration for not giving up. Children also admired the perseverance that was shown by the main character (Joy). This could inspire them to also not give up.
#4- Stories can encourage the same sort of growth as that which is experienced by the main character. In the film, Joy learns that Sadness is extremely important and that, to achieve happiness, collaboration with her (and the other emotions) is vital. The researchers found that children and adolescents who watched the film experienced the same sort of growth. The more insights they gained while watching the film, the more meaningful the story became to them.
The more times you watch it, the better you understand it
According to De Leeuw, the children and adolescents relished the challenges that were involved in understanding the story. “If there was something that they didn’t quite understand, they often wanted to watch the film again, and sometimes they even wanted to watch it several more times. This is a good explanation for why children sometimes watch films over and over again: it’s not only because they’re entertaining, but also because they still don’t fully understand everything. When they become aware of something new, it gives them a lot of enjoyment.”
Interesting for filmmakers and parents
De Leeuw and her colleagues hope that their research findings will inspire filmmakers to tell more stories that will give (young) people the opportunity to gain meaningful insights that will benefit them in life. They also hope that filmmakers incorporate more acts of beauty into their stories, and then the ones that can move us. In actual fact, research has shown that when we are ‘moved by love’, we become more open and loving towards others.
The results may also interest parents, because it has been shown that children understand stories more quickly when they are helped by others. “Much like when reading books to young children and talking about what’s happening, it’s good for parents to discuss films with their children. In this instance, open-ended questions can also help, because they make children think about the emotions and behaviour of the characters. The best part of all is when children gain their own insights.”
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