Power of Pictures? Questioning the Emotionalization and Behavioral Activation Potential of Aesthetics in War Photography

War photography is not only used illustratively in news media but also displayed as controversial art objects. The ethics and impact of aestheticization in war photography have long been debated. In three studies (N-1 = 243, N-2 = 251, N-3 = 254), we contribute empirically to this debate by testing the impact of aesthetics in war photography (i.e., aesthetic style and context) on emotionalization and behavioral activation. While viewing war photography was, overall, emotionalizing (especially regarding negative affect and moral outrage), we did not find any behavioral activation (i.e., donation intention and behavior or general willingness to act against war). Neither aesthetic style nor aesthetic context made a difference in affective or behavioral responses. However, a salient aesthetic context (Study 3) led to higher aesthetic judgments of war photographs. Overall, these results question whether aesthetics in war photography have a particular power for evoking emotional and behavioral responses.