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Watching The Kardashians Can Make You 'Selfish And Anti-Social', Says Study

Watching The Kardashians Can Make You 'Selfish And Anti-Social', Says Study

As little as 60 seconds can have an effect on viewers

Rachael Grealish

Rachael Grealish

It doesn't take a genius to work out watching too much TV is bad for you, although maybe those square eyes your parents warned you about aren't quite the medical epidemic we all feared.

However, it turns out that watching TV shows such as Keeping Up With The Kardashians may well have negative implications for your personality - at least, if a recent study is to be believed.

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A new study says that even watching 60 seconds of materialistic TV shows can make you a worse person by reducing your sympathy for those less fortunate.

Research from the London School of Economics found that shows that 'glamourise fame, luxury, and wealth accumulation' may bring about anti-welfare and materialistic sentiments, according to the Telegraph.

Study author Dr Rodolfo Leyva of LSE's Department of Media and Communications said: "Humans are inherently materialistic but also very social and communal.

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"The way this is expressed depends on our culture. If there is more emphasis on materialism as a way to be happy, this makes us more inclined to be selfish and anti-social, and therefore unsympathetic to people less fortunate.

"This study can contribute to explanations for why the UK public's support for welfare to aid the impoverished and unemployed has been decreasing."

This is how the test worked: two control groups, 487 adults in total, were shown a variety of footage from a series of TV sources.

One group was shown ads for luxury products and photos of rich celebrities, and the other neutral images featuring the likes of public transport and natural scenery.

Results showed that even a small amount of exposure to materialistic media had a negative impact on both anti-welfare attitudes and support for anti-welfare policies.

Participants were also asked about viewing of nine TV shows, such as The Apprentice, X-Factor, Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Made in Chelsea.

They were also asked about their reading habits, which concerned five daily tabloid newspapers that regularly feature stories on wealthy celebrities, and ten magazines - such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, GQ and Esquire - that advertise luxury products.

Results showed those who also regularly watched shows such as The Apprentice and X-Factor, were found to be much more likely to hold "stronger materialistic and anti-welfare attitudes than lighter consumers of these shows."

Dr Leyva added: "Results suggest that momentary exposure to and regular consumption of materialistic media messages (MMMs) induces stronger materialism and anti-welfare attitudes.

"The Apprentice, Keeping Up With The Kardashians and X-Factor are replete with MMMs that are engineered to absorb audiences into the glamorous world of wealth and celebrities and thus have a strong potential to function as cultivators of materialistic values and attitudes."

So, if you ever needed an excuse to turn off the TV, here it is. Although good luck arguing that one with the KUWTK fan in your life next time you're trying to regain control of the remote.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, News, Interesting, Kardashian