With great power comes great responsibility: Superhero primes and expansive poses influence prosocial behavior after a motion-controlled game task

This study examined how priming social concepts and manipulating physical poses when playing a motion-sensing flight game affected ensuing prosocial behaviors. After the experimenter “accidentally” dropped pencils, participants primed with superheroes were faster at helping compared with a control condition. Participants who controlled the game while standing and holding expansive poses helped more compared with those in the expansive pose/sitting condition. Sitting participants primed with supervillains showed decreased prosocial intention. The study expanded on previous research and addressed possible confounds by providing evidence of how social primes and physical poses affect prosocial behavior after a virtual flight task. The paper discusses theoretical implications and future directions for research interested in cognitive processes and physical mechanics in virtual experiences.