Dr. Sophie Janicke-Bowles

Dr. Sophie Janicke-Bowles

Associate Professor
School of Communication; Communication Studies
Expertise: Media Effects; Happiness; Positive Media Psychology; Social Media; Spirituality;
Office Location: Becket Building 115
Office Hours: By appointment only
Phone: 714-516-5184
Scholarly Works:
Digital Commons
Education:
Florida State University, Ph.D.

Biography

Sophie H. Janicke-Bowles, Ph.D. is a positive media psychologist who investigates the role that new and traditional media play in promoting and affecting character development, self-transcendent emotions, prosocial behavior, and well-being (aka happiness). Her research and teaching focus is on positive psychology, media and new communication technologies, and media and spirituality. As a member of a research team from Florida State and Penn State Universities she was awarded a 3 year $1.9M grant from the John Templeton Foundation (2015-2018) to explore how people use and are impacted by media content that elicits self-transcendent emotions such as awe, elevation, gratitude and compassion. In her past research, Janicke examined how and why we enjoy media entertainment, with specific attention to the role morality plays in those processes. She received her Diploma (German equivalent to a Masters Degree) in clinical and media psychology from Eberhard-Karls University, Tuebingen, Germany in 2009 and a Ph.D. in mass communication from Florida State University in 2013.

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications

Janicke-Bowles, S. H., & McGuire, N. (to be published 2023). Transcendent and Uplifting Media. In N. Bowman (Ed.), DeGruyter Handbook of Entertainment. Hogrefe Publishing Group
Janicke-Bowles, S.H., *Buckley, T.M., *Rey, R., *Wozniak, T., Meier, A., Lomanowska, A. (2023). Conceptualizing and Assessing Digital Flourishing: Developing a Scale to Measure Positive Mediated Social Interactions. Journal of Happiness Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00619-5
Janicke-Bowles, S.H. (2023). Digital Flourishing in the U.S.: Validation of the Digital Flourishing Scale (DFS) and Demographic Exploration. Communication Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2023.2289688
Associated Editor for Frontiers in Media Psychology
Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Raney, A.A., Oliver, M.B., Dale, K.R., A., Zhao, D., Neumann, D., Clayton, R., *Hendry, A. (2022). Inspiration on Social Media: Applying an Entertainment Perspective to Longitudinally Explore Mental Health and Well-Being. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 16(2) Article 1. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2022-2-1
Rosic, J., Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Carbone, L., Vandenbosch, L., & Lobe, B. (2022). Positive Digital Communication among Youth: The Development and Validation of a Digital Flourishing Scale in Adolescence. Frontiers in Digital Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2022.975557
Janicke-Bowles, S. H., Jenkins, B., O'Neill, B., Thomason, L., & Psomas, E. (2022). Other-focus versus self-focus: The power of self-transcendent TV shows. Psychology of Popular Media. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000441
Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Schubert, T., Blomster, J.K. (2021). Feeling moved by mediated love: Kama muta as an eudaimonic entertainment experience. In P. Vorderer & C. Klimmt (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Entertainment Theory (pp. 403-418). Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190072216.013.22
Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Bartsch, A., Raney, A.A., Oliver, M.B. (2021). Transcending eudaimonic entertainment: a review and expansion of meaningful entertainment. In P. Vorderer & C. Klimmt (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Entertainment Theory (pp. 363-381). Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190072216.013.20
Zhao, D. & Janicke-Bowles, S.H. (2021). Media enjoyment as attitude. In J. Van en Bulck (Ed.). The International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 978-1-119-01106-4
De Leeuw, R.N.H., Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Ji, Q. (2021). How music awakens the heart: An experimental study on music, emotions, and connectedness. Online first at Journal of Mass Communication & Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2021.1956542
Oliver, MB., Raney, A.A., Bartsch, A., Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Appel, M., & Dale, K. (2021, in press). Model of Inspiring Media. In press at the Journal of Media Psychology Special issue on Theoretical Innovation and Consolidation.
Clayton, R. B., Raney, A. A., Oliver, M. B., Neumann, D., Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Dale, K.R. (2021). Feeling Transcendent?: Measuring Psychophysiological Responses to Self-Transcendent Media Content. Media Psychology, 24(3), 359-384. DOI: 10.1080/15213269.2019.1700135
Ji, Q., Janicke-Bowles, S.H., De Leeuw, R.N.H., Oliver, M.B. (2021). The melody to inspiration: The effects of awe eliciting music on approach motivation and positive well-being. Media Psychology, 24(3), 305-331. DOI: 10.1080/15213269.2019.1693402
Raney, A.A., Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Dale, K.R., Oliver, M.B. (2020). Introduction to Positive Media Psychology. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780367373900
Dale, K.R., Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Raney, A.A., Oliver, M.B., Huse, L.K., *Lopez, J., Reed, A., Seibert, J.C., Zhao, D. (2020). Awe and stereotypes: Examining awe as an intervention against stereotypical media portrayals of African Americans. Communication Studies.71(4), 699-707. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2020.1754264
Janicke-Bowles, S.H. (2020). Self-Centeredness As A Response To Narratives With Few Self-Transcendent Elicitors. Communication Research Reports, 37(4), 137-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2020.1789579
Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Rieger, D., Connor III, W. (2018). Finding meaning at work: the role of inspiring and funny YouTube videos on work-related well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(2), 619-640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-9959-1
Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Raney, A.A., Oliver, M.B., Dale, K.R., Jones, R.P., Cox, D. (2019). Exploring the Spirit in U.S. Audiences: The Role of the Virtue of Transcendence in Inspiring Media Consumption. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 98(2), 428-450. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699019894927
Ji, Q., Raney, A. A., Janicke-Bowles, S. H., Dale, K. R., Oliver, M. B., Reed, A., Seibert, J., & Raney II, A. A. (2019). Spreading the good news: Analyzing socially shared inspirational news content. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 96(3), 872-893.
Dale, K.R., Raney, A., Ji, Q., Janicke-Bowles, S.H., Baldwin, J., Rowlett, J., Wang, C., & Oliver, M.B. (2019). Self-Transcendent Emotions and Social Media: Exploring the Content and Consumers of Inspirational Facebook Posts. New Media & Society, 22(3), 507-527. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819865720
Oliver, M.B., Raney, A.A., Slater, M., Hartmann, T., Bartsch, A., Appel, M., Schneider, F., Janicke, S.H., Kraemer, N., Das, E. (2018). Self-Transcendent Media Experiences: Taking Meaningful Media to a Higher Level. Journal of Communication, 68, 380-389. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqx020
Ji, Q., & Janicke, S.H. (2018). Culture, Political Orientation, and Moral Foundations: A Comparison Between China and the U.S. China Media Research, 14(1), 62-75.
Janicke, S.H., Narajan, A., Seng, A. (2018). Social media for good? A survey on millenials’ inspirational social media use. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 7(2), 120-140.
Raney, A. A., Janicke, S. H., Oliver, M. B., Dale, K. R., Jones, R. P., & Cox, D. (2018). Profiling the sources of and audiences for inspiring media content: A national survey. Mass Communication and Society, 21(3), 296-319. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2017.1413195
Janicke, S.H. Rieger, D., Reinecke, L., & Connor III, W (2017). Watching Online Videos at Work: The Role of Positive and Meaningful Affect for Recovery Experiences and Well-Being at the Workplace. Mass Communication Society. 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2017.1381264
Dale, K.R., Raney, A.A., Janicke, S.H., Sanders, M., Oliver, M.B. (2017). Youtube for good: A content analysis and examination of elicitors of self-transcendent media. Journal of Communication, 67(6), 897-919. Doi:10.1111/jcom.12333

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