Develop Your Emotional Intelligence by Watching Great TV Dramas
Who Said Watching TV Can’t Be Good For You? Recent research shows that watching top-notch television series like Mad Men and The Good Wife can help you develop emotional intelligence and empathy.
The results of a study conducted by scientists Jessica Black and Jennifer L. Barnes and published in The Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts , compared two controlled groups of TV-watching participants. The first group watched highly rated TV dramas such as Mad Men , The West Wing , The Good Wife, or Lost , while the second group watched popular science programs such as Nova or Shark Week. …
All participants then completed the Mind-by-Eye Test, which is commonly used by psychologists to measure emotional intelligence. After all was said and done, the sympathy scores of the group watching the drama were significantly higher than that of the group watching non-fiction. Black and Barnes suggest that observing fictional people experiencing difficulties forces you to view their problems from different perspectives; including what it is like to be in the character’s place. Empathy and emotional intelligence are what many consider to be the foundation of a “good person,” so you can use that as an excuse to watch some more great TV.
Fiction and Social Cognition: The Impact of Watching Award-Winning Television Dramas on Theory of Mind | Journal of Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and Art through NYMag