In a triumph of modern science at least equal to the discovery of penicillin or nuclear power, a new study conducted by Ohio State University has shown a correlation between watching reality TV and narcissistic personality traits. That’s right, turns out all those cynical commentators were right. Keeping Up With The Kardashians and The Bachelor are ruining society and we have the science to prove it.
Tracking the viewing habits of 565 college students, the students were then asked questions and rated against the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The results then proved that those students who watched more reality TV tended to exhibit more narcissistic personality traits than others.
In case you need a little clarification on what that means, good old Google defines narcissism as “extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of one’s own talents and a craving for admiration, as characterizing a personality type”. So exactly the type of people that star in these shows.
Lead researcher on the study Ted Dickinson noted that the correlation might in fact go both ways with “some people with narcissistic tendencies are seeking out media characters similar to themselves, whereas others who watch reality TV see narcissism as normalized behavior and begin acting more narcissistic.” So it’s pretty much a case of an ego maniac chicken and an over entitled egg.
Dickinson also suggested the results could be skewed, as the average age of the participants was 20. “Older people tend to be less narcissistic than young people,” he said, adding that an older control group might produce a different results.
In good news for any sanctimonious politicos out there though, the study also showed that people who watch the news were “more civically engaged and less individualistic”, which really is the last thing those pinkos need to hear. They should just shut up and watch The Bachelor like our Premier.
