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REAL LIFE NEWS: SOAP OPERAS ARE BAD FOR YOU

by Hazed

If you spend your life watching soap operas where the characters bully each other, cheat, lie and shout at one another, then you’re going to turn nasty yourself.

Research by Iowa State Uni professor Douglas Gentile says that watching “relational aggression” of the sort seen so commonly on soap operats is just as bad for the viewer as watching actual violence.

“Relational aggression tends to be considered more socially acceptable - it’s often portrayed on television,” he said. “Yet, several studies are starting to show that relational aggression can cause long-term harm.” It’s because it primes the brain for aggression in the same way as watching a physical fight.

The researchers showed several short films to 250 women. One film featured actual violence, another showed “relational aggression where girls steal boyfriends, spread malicious gossip and kick someone out of their social circle.”

The viewers were then tested for aggression levels, and the second film produced just as much as the first one with the overt violence did.

I am always very suspicious of studies that seem to show that watching a certain type of film (or playing games) affects behavior, so I would like to know more about this. I wonder just how they “tested for aggression levels” - did they monitor the ladies’ behavior to see if they went out and beat someone up, or is there some kind of chemical they measured for? Also, was there a control group of women who watched gentle, calm films with no violence in - and how did their aggression levels compare?

The researchers want to do more work, extending the study to male viewers. Should be interesting.

Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/12/soap_operas_make_viewers_aggressive/

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