(University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, MI) -- People with a strong moral identity are measurably inspired to do good after being exposed to media stories about uncommon acts of human goodness, says a researcher at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

A new study by Brent McFerran, assistant professor of marketing at the Ross School, and colleague Karl Aquino, a professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, shows that exposure to media accounts of extraordinary virtue can spur “moral elevation”—thoughts and emotions about being a better person.

People who experience this moral elevation, they say, are more readily disposed to take positive moral action, including giving to charity.

“Showing acts of goodness may serve to broaden one’s donor base and stand out in the charity marketplace,” says McFerran. “Rather than showing wreckage from the tsunami [in Japan], for example, let’s talk about people who have done extraordinary things to help.

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