More information about this topic can be found in the full interview with HealthDay or U.S. News at the following links: HealthDay, U.S. News & World Report
Do you become too attached to onscreen characters? You may be especially attached if you can’t wait to see what happens to your favorite character next, are set up to receive spoiler alerts, mourn when they leave the show or worse, get killed off or when you are binge watching your favorites. But why do you get so attached and how can you regulate your attachments so that you can keep them but keep them healthy?
I have been asked these questions many times and recently by HealthDay and U.S. News and World Report. The truth is that you invite them into your living room over a long period of time and they become like family! You talk about them as though they are real and find yourself saying things like,” Rona is about to find out who is the mystery man who has been following her,” or “Ruby is finally getting engaged to Stanford after he has been waffling for months. I hope it lasts!”
But the truth is that you often identify with a character who is like you or one you want to emulate and want to see what happens to them. And it can affect how you think about yourself! In a study at the Ohio State University, doctoral student and researcher Timothy Broom reports that people do internalize the characters’ experiences, as if they had the experiences themselves. They use the same neural mechanism that you use to access information about yourself. But are some more likely to access the information than others?
Broom identified certain participants in the study who were better able to identify with fictional characters due to activity in what is called the vMPFC region of the brain. The study used the popular show “Game of Thrones” when looking at characters that viewers most admired or to whom they felt closest.
“They’re really internalizing the experiences of those characters, because they are experiencing the story from that perspective. They really internalize that and incorporate that character into their self-concept,” says Broom
These results show the power fiction has over people’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. It’s is a premise that I speak about a great deal in “Get Reel: Produce Your Own Life.” I caution viewers to view mindfully so that they are aware of their biological and emotional responses to anything or any hero they view, whether it is in the news or a crime show.
You can learn to know when to engage and when to step back and watch from a distance, especially if your favorite character is on an emotional roller coaster and is taking you with them. Decide what and who you want to influence you and make choices. Fiction is not a good premise for planning your real life. Even compelling dramas are not healthy if the content is too disturbing. And you have to make viewing decisions for yourself.
Meanwhile, enjoy the funny, touching and “real feeling” responses you have to shows. As long as you remember it’s not real, you can entertain yourself, obtain different perspectives and points of view and just sit back and view consciously.