Habitual violent media exposure does not bias facial emotional processing: a comparison of interactive vs. non-interactive content.

ABSTRACT: The relationship between violent media exposure and aggression remains widely debated. The General Aggression Model (GAM) suggests that repeated exposure fosters aggression through the formation of aggressive scripts and emotional desensitization. However, empirical findings have been mixed, and a growing body of research has criticized the GAM for overstating the strength and consistency of this association. In light of this, the present study investigated whether habitual exposure to violent media biases emotional information processing and whether such effects differ by mode of media interactivity. A total of 54 violent media users participated, comprising violent video gamers (VVGs; M_age = 20.07 years, SD = 1.26) and non-video gamers (NVGs; M_age = 21.29 years, SD 

SUBMITTER: Ubaradka A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12658105 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature