What your taste in Netflix and shows on other streaming sites says about you according to science (and why watching Friends could be a red flag)
What does it actually say about you if you enjoy streaming reality shows, comedy classics, or can’t resist true crime?
The answer may not be what you expect.
Several scientific studies have examined the personality traits associated with different TV genres and viewing habits, and have found some surprising associations.
For example, true crime fans won’t be that violent themselves. In fact, they’re probably the opposite: they’re highly empathetic.
Here’s what your TV habits say about you, according to science:
It’s bad news if you binge eat
Research shows that people who watch a lot of TV end up eating unhealthy foods, behaving antisocially and performing poorly at work or school.
Stranger Things: People who do a lot of shows may end up underperforming at work (Getty)
A Polish study shows that hardcore binge watchers are often people with poor impulse control and a tendency not to plan. Some viewers watch twenty episodes at a time.
Researchers interviewed 645 people between the ages of 18 and 30 to find out what makes them binge multiple episodes at once.
Up to 20 percent of the group admitted to watching between six and 20 episodes at a time, with researchers suggesting that these hardcore bingers use TV to escape reality.
Jolanta Starosta, lead author, says: ‘It may be related to the fact that problematic binge watchers engage in marathon TV series, mainly because they want to escape from their daily life problems and regulate their emotions.’
True crime fan? You’re a lover, not a fighter
From American Nightmare to Don’t F**k With Cats, Netflix and other TV streaming services have become the go-to places for true crime shows.
True crime shows like Dahmer have become huge hits
Half of Americans say they enjoy true crime, but it’s women who are driving this trend: 58 percent of women enjoy true crime compared to 42 percent of men, according to a YouGov survey.
For women, previous research has suggested that they hope to learn how to avoid the same fate, and feel empathy for the victims.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that women chose entertainment with female victims and examined the motives of a killer.
Previous research from 2010 in Social Psychological and Personality Science suggested that women are drawn to true crime entertainment to watch for warning signs and learn “escape tips.”
The authors say it’s possible that true crime fans may find themselves in a vicious cycle where their favorite entertainment scares them even more, pushing them to consume more true crime.
Authors Amanda M. Vicary and R. Chris Fraley wrote, “Women, compared to men, have an increased fear of crime, despite being less likely to become victims.”
Dramas and soaps – you are a relationship person
Watching TV dramas like One Day can have major consequences for your real-life love life, a 2019 study found.
The study led by Valerie Kretz found that – contrary to previous research – watching TV dramas predicted that fans believed in love and that their real-life relationships would be stronger.
The same applied to fans of soap operas, as Kretz’s research showed.
TV dramas like One Day can have major implications for your love life
Kretz wrote, “Watching TV dramas could encourage the belief that men and women differ dramatically in their needs, which is also considered maladaptive. By encouraging maladaptive beliefs, watching TV dramas could undermine relationship satisfaction.
‘In the current study, watching TV dramas was associated with greater relationship satisfaction.’
If you watch reality TV shows…
Watching reality TV shows like Squid Game: The Challenge can mean ‘living through’ the characters – and not always in a good way.
Do you like reality TV shows like Squid Game: The Challenge?
Research from Ohio State University found that people try to satisfy their basic needs by watching reality TV — and that our reasons for doing so include those in our real lives.
On the plus side, people who enjoy reality shows are often motivated by their own desire to be social and even romance.
But on the other hand, people also enjoy such shows because of their own desire for status and revenge, the study found.
The researchers wrote: ‘By far the largest significant effect was related to the status motive. The more reality TV shows someone liked, the more status-oriented the person was.
‘The second largest significant difference concerned the basic motive of revenge. People who watched and enjoyed reality television valued revenge more than people who did not watch such programs.”
‘People who liked two or more reality TV shows on our list tended to be more motivated by social life, less motivated by honor, more concerned about order and more motivated by romance, compared to those who didn’t watch any of the reality shows . television programs in our list.’
If you stream old favorite shows
What does it say about you when you find old favorite shows like Friends on streaming services and watch them again and again?
It could mean that you feel lonely.
Streaming old favorites like Friends can mean you’re lonely
Research has shown that loneliness can drive us to watch old favorite shows, actually making us feel safe from a drop in self-esteem and feelings of rejection.
Research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology in 2009 suggested that returning to favorite TV shows makes us feel less lonely.
The researchers wrote that the study “showed that people report watching favorite television programs when they feel lonely, and feeling less lonely when watching those programs.”