Can watching movies rewire your brain?

New Stanford research finds that when people lose themselves in a story, they become more empathetic:

“According to findings published Oct. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, watching Just Mercy increased participants’ empathy for the recently incarcerated and decreased their enthusiasm for the death penalty.”
– The Hollywood Reporter, October 23, 2024

You can read the Stanford findings published Oct. 21 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Film intervention increases empathic understanding of formerly incarcerated people and support for criminal justice reform.

We were honored to create the official Just Mercy Curriculum Guide & Student Learning Guide to make it easy to teach with this powerful film. Learn more about teaching with Just Mercy.

Filmmakers, if you want to harness the transformative power of film to increase empathy, talk to us about our customized impact materials and outreach programs.