Article,
Why People Watch Reality TV
Media Psychology, (2004)
Abstract
We assessed the appeal of reality TV by asking 239 adults to rate themselves on
each of 16 basic motives using the Reiss Profile standardized instrument and to
rate how much they watched and enjoyed various reality television shows. The
results suggested that the people who watched reality television had above-average
trait motivation to feel self-important and, to a lesser extent, vindicated,
friendly, free of morality, secure, and romantic, as compared with large normative
samples. The results, which were dose-dependent, showed a new method for
studying media. This method is based on evidence that people have the potential
to experience 16 different joys. People prefer television shows that stimulate the
feelings they intrinsically value the most, which depends on individuality.
