To Explore Escapism and Satisfaction with Life Among Anime Watchers and Non-Anime Watchers

Abstract

The present study explores the relationship between anime watchers and non-anime watchers on Escapism, and Satisfaction with Life among young adults. The research checks for any differences in Self-expansion (adaptive escapism), Self-suppression (maladaptive escapism), and Satisfaction with Life levels between anime watchers and non-anime watchers. In this study Sampling of 200 participants was selected through purposive sampling from Kolkata and Howrah. The participants were administered by Stenseng et al.’s (2012) Escapism Scale along with Diener et al.’s (1985) Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Statistical analyses were done using the Mann-Whitney U tests and descriptive statistics to make the comparisons between groups; the results revealed no significant differences between the anime-watching group and non-anime-watching group in self-expansion, self-suppression, or satisfaction with life. These findings show that anime watching does not influence escapism tendencies or satisfaction with life among young adults. The study contributes to media psychology literature by providing empirical evidence about anime’s psychological impact. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed, including the need for longitudinal designs and genre-specific analyses.