A new study suggests watching good tv makes you into a better person.
We can all basically agree that there is a new generation of great television. In fact, there are over 400 programs included in the current season. Now, binge-watching TV fanatics can finally have a statistic they can brag about. NY Mag is reporting on a new study published last week in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts that claims the viewing of high-quality television dramas can increase someone’s emotional intelligence. Apparently, watching a few episodes on Netflix will allegedly make you more empathetic.
The experiment used in the study had roughly 100 people watch an episodic drama, like Mad Men or The West Wing, or an educational reality series like How The Universe Works or Shark Week: Jaws Strike Back. Once the viewing finished, those involved in th study took part in a test often used by psychologists to measure emotional intelligence. According to the report, the participants were “shown 36 pairs of eyes” and were then told to “judge the meotion each pair is displaying.” Those who watched Mad Men characters drink and cheat on their wife achieved better results as opposed to people who watched sharks for an hour.
Overall, those who watch a TV show with a complex fictional storyline, are forced to consider a problem with multiple character perspectives, which tasks the audience to fill in the gaps regarding the lives of those whose stories are playing in the written word of on screen.
With The Walking Dead, and American Horror Story: Hotel coming back on TV this week, you can brag to all of your friends that watching people kill zombies is making you into a better person.
(Via NY Mag)
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