Political Entertainment

The psychological mechanisms that govern the selection and processing of political entertainment are different from those of more traditional political content. These unique mechanisms suggest lower argument scrutiny and resistance from the audience. By bypassing these barriers to persuasion, political entertainment can shape political knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior in ways that can have wider implications for individuals, society, and democracy. In this entry, we not only discuss the psychological mechanisms that make political entertainment unique, but also explicate the different approaches to defining political entertainment and its effects on sociopolitical outcomes.