London - It’s been called cruel, exploitative and trashy – but watching reality TV makes you a nicer person, a study has found.
Reality shows such as Big Brother and I’m a Celebrity develop our ability to feel “vicarious embarrassment” for others, activating the parts of the brain that make us more empathetic. Those who watch reality TV are able to “put themselves in another person’s shoes” more easily, the study said.
The brain-image study by researchers at the University of Bonn, Germany, found high levels of activity in the four areas of the brain which deal with empathy, compassion, the suppression of ego, and social codes and rules in 30 participants who had just watched clips of people humiliating themselves. Lower levels of empathetic activity were seen in another 30 who had watched neutral clips. - Daily Mail