Why Do We Love Reality TV?

Will he offer her the rose? Will she go to Hollywood? Will he get fired? Millions of Americans can’t wait to find out each week. “Reality TV” shows like “Survivor” and “American Idol” now outrank longtime hits like “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

Have we turned into a nation of snoops? “It’s human nature to be curious about others,” says Gary Stone, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network social worker. “We want to know how people handle difficult situations, and that our own difficulties aren’t that outlandish.”

Watching reality TV also helps us solve problems without risking our own security, says Stone’s colleague, social worker Barbara Johnson. “We may not know we’re problem-solving, but by second-guessing the contestants we learn about ourselves,” she says. “Even when people are ‘fired,’ we can benefit from their mistakes.”

That’s not to say you can’t overdo reality TV. Johnson suggests asking yourself, “Why is this show appealing? Would I be better served by taking on my own calculated challenge?” “The Bachelor,” for example, may help you realize what type of mate you want, but you need to take the initiative to go out and meet people. “The Apprentice” may teach you about business, but networking can help you progress in your own career.

Do reality TV fans run the risk of turning into screaming, scheming “contestants” themselves? You’re not likely to undergo a personality transformation from watching TV, Stone says. But you do want to be careful about living too much of your life vicariously.

“Our values are learned through real experiences and real people, not TV people chosen for their strong personalities and edited to be more dramatic,” he says. “We need to discover life away from the set, and not lose our physical and mental muscle tone.”

In other words, reality TV may be fun—“but true happiness is found by spending time with your friends and family, pursuing your interests and following your dreams.”