Whereas previous research has mainly focused on negative effects of listening to music on intergroup attitudes and behavior, the present three experiments examined whether music exposure could reduce prejudice and discrimination. In fact, those participants who had listened to songs with pro-integration (relative to neutral) lyrics expressed less prejudice (Studies 1 and 3) and were less aggressive against (Study 2) and more helpful toward an outgroup member (Study 3). These effects were unaffected by song liking as well as mood and arousal properties of the songs employed, suggesting that it is indeed the pro-integration content of the lyrics that drives the effects. It is discussed to what extent music exposure could be employed to effectively reduce prejudice and discrimination in the real world.

One correlational study examined whether virtual contact via Facebook is positively related to intergroup relations. The followers of two online campaigns from Iran and Israel-whose countries have been in a politically hostile relationship since the 1980s-indicated the amount of direct and indirect virtual (Facebook) and real-life outgroup contact they have had, a number of quality and affective judgments about that contact, and completed an affective prejudice measure about the respective outgroup. Overall, contact was negatively associated with affective prejudice, providing support for the contact hypothesis in a specific and exclusively virtual setting with citizens of hostile nations. Previously experienced real-life contact did not moderate the results, suggesting that virtual contact has an independent link to positive outgroup attitudes.

A correlational study on Facebook investigated the relationship between virtual intergroup contact and general attitudes toward diverse out‐groups. A so‐called Facebook application retrieved objective data about the intercultural composition of participants' Facebook networks. The exact percentage of out‐group friends correlated significantly with more favorable out‐group attitudes. This relationship was mediated by humanitarian‐egalitarian values, suggesting that having intercultural friends on Facebook is positively linked to value orientations, which in turn are associated with more favorable intergroup attitudes. In addition, identification with one's own national group and real‐life experience abroad did not moderate the results. Overall, although causation cannot be inferred because of the correlational design of our study, results suggest that virtual intergroup contact may positively affect attitudes.

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