How your morals shape your favorite stories | Matthew Grizzard | TEDxOhioStateUniversity

Core Argument - Stories act as a mirror, reflecting our moral judgment processes and revealing insights about ourselves [35][36] - Character morality is a significant predictor of story and character liking [12][13] - Moral judgments are often based on emotional responses rather than careful deliberation [14][15] Moral Foundations Theory - Moral foundations theory posits five domains of morality: care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and purity [15] - Characters can exhibit varying degrees of these moral foundations, influencing audience perception [16] Character Interdependence - Character liking is often determined by comparing characters within a story, rather than objective morality [22][23] - Antagonists can influence the perceived morality of protagonists, as seen in "Breaking Bad" [24][25][26][27] Real-World Applications - Contextually dependent morality is observed in sports, where rivalries influence moral alignment [28][29][30] - Interpersonal relationships, such as friendships after a breakup, also demonstrate contextually dependent morality [30][31] - Conflicts between liked characters, like in "Captain America: Civil War," force audiences to choose sides based on perceived morality [31][32][33]