The power of superheroes: How parasocial relationships inspire self-efficacy

Superheroes have maintained their presence as popular media characters for decades. This research examines their impact, particularly on parasocial relationships and downstream self-efficacy. In a survey of undergraduate student respondents (N = 476), when their favorite superhero’s gender aligned with their own, they experienced greater parasocial relationships with that superhero. These parasocial relationships then facilitated greater feelings of self-efficacy, illustrating the impact of superheroes on young people’s daily lives. However, parasocial relationships with superheroes were not linked to political self-efficacy, specifically, which places contextual boundaries on the link between parasocial relationships and forms of efficacy.