New studies by the University at Buffalo and Miami University of Ohio found that watching TV can drive away feelings of loneliness and rejection. The studies are reported in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and suggest that watching TV provides viewers with the illusion that their social needs are being met.
The 'social surrogacy hypothesis’ tested in these studies posits that people can use the media to provide the experience of belonging when no real belongingness has been experienced. The studies found that subjects felt less lonely when viewing their favorite TV shows; subjects’ belongingness needs were aroused when viewing their favorite shows; thinking about favorite TV shows buffered subjects against drops in self-esteem, increases in negative mood and feelings of rejection, and subjects verbally expressed fewer feelings of loneliness after viewing their preferred TV shows.
Researchers concluded that a viewer's fictional bond with TV characters can help ease their need to connect with others. The study authors noted, however, that it remains an open question whether social surrogacy suppresses belongingness needs or actually fulfills them. They acknowledge that the kind of social surrogacy provoked by these programs can be a poor substitution for 'real' human-to-human experience.
Television viewership is up in this down economy, which isn't all that surprising. TV is, after all, a cheap form of escapism. But before you tune in to tune out the realities of recession, remember that prime-time TV is full of pretty people and even prettier things. All this glamour affects how you think about your position in the world.
According to Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor, "Television viewing results in an up-scaling of desire, and that in turn leads people to buy." Her study found that every additional hour of TV viewing per week boosts spending by roughly $200 a year. So a handful of sitcoms and a reality series or two can cost you more than a grand a year. Forget keeping up with the Joneses; now people are struggling to keep up with the Kardashians.
If you can't bring yourself to give up TV entirely, then at least stop watching shows centered on the lifestyles of the fictionally rich. Try COPS or The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer. No one ever looked at the PBS anchor and said, "I've got to get a blazer like that!"
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I Want My TV
New studies by the University at Buffalo and Miami University of Ohio found that watching TV can drive away feelings of loneliness and rejection. The studies are reported in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and suggest that watching TV provides viewers with the illusion that their social needs are being met.
The 'social surrogacy hypothesis’ tested in these studies posits that people can use the media to provide the experience of belonging when no real belongingness has been experienced. The studies found that subjects felt less lonely when viewing their favorite TV shows; subjects’ belongingness needs were aroused when viewing their favorite shows; thinking about favorite TV shows buffered subjects against drops in self-esteem, increases in negative mood and feelings of rejection, and subjects verbally expressed fewer feelings of loneliness after viewing their preferred TV shows.
Researchers concluded that a viewer's fictional bond with TV characters can help ease their need to connect with others. The study authors noted, however, that it remains an open question whether social surrogacy suppresses belongingness needs or actually fulfills them. They acknowledge that the kind of social surrogacy provoked by these programs can be a poor substitution for 'real' human-to-human experience.
Television viewership is up in this down economy, which isn't all that surprising. TV is, after all, a cheap form of escapism. But before you tune in to tune out the realities of recession, remember that prime-time TV is full of pretty people and even prettier things. All this glamour affects how you think about your position in the world.
According to Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor, "Television viewing results in an up-scaling of desire, and that in turn leads people to buy." Her study found that every additional hour of TV viewing per week boosts spending by roughly $200 a year. So a handful of sitcoms and a reality series or two can cost you more than a grand a year. Forget keeping up with the Joneses; now people are struggling to keep up with the Kardashians.
If you can't bring yourself to give up TV entirely, then at least stop watching shows centered on the lifestyles of the fictionally rich. Try COPS or The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer. No one ever looked at the PBS anchor and said, "I've got to get a blazer like that!"
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