Older women who watch Oprah are more stupid than their peers

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women who say talk shows and soap operas are their favorite TV programs tend to score more poorly on tests of memory, attention and other cognitive skills, researchers reported Monday.

[...]

A study of 289 older women without dementia found that those who rated talk shows and soaps as their favorite programs performed more poorly on tests of memory, attention and mental quickness than their peers who cited other types of shows.

What's more, they were at greater risk of showing signs of clinical impairment. For example, compared with women who preferred to watch news programs, those who favored soaps were more than seven times more likely to show signs of impairment on one of the tests, while talk show fans were more than 13 times more likely to demonstrate impairment.

"Those findings are quite robust," Fogel told Reuters Health.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060320/hl_nm/daytime_tv_dc_1

[Jenn! 918]

Didn't read the article, but when I read the topic title, my first reaction was: "Duh, no sh*t, Sherlock!"

[Fuzzness 2]

don't think it makes anyone stupid but they sure won't learn about the real world from her.

[keltic 1]

i would tend to think that those ppl spending time working on crosswords/cryptoquotes/wordsearches will have less impairment than ppl watching any passive television show... keeping the brain actively working will keep it healthier in the long run

[pax 0]

On one hand, I think Oprah Winfrey herself is very unfairly vilified. She succeeded in mass media not just as a television personality, but as a producer and businesswoman in her own right. She's been incredibly savvy about building and keeping her audience; she employs a smart, driven, largely female workforce; she's a self-made woman.

But while her talk show is probably the best one of its kind (though that's not saying much), it does buy into some of the worse trends in mass media and popular culture:

--Providing help to the needy, but as handouts only to "deserving" people without much questioning as to how these "deserving" people got in such a bad spot or without driving for much in the way of systematic change (see Extreme Home Makeover et al.);

--Implicitly assuring the audience that the acquisition of material goods is positively correlated with happiness or spiritual fulfillment;

--Offering advice from "experts" like Dr. Phil without any critical analysis of whether or not the advice is truly disinterested and "one size fits all."

So I have mixed feelings about Oprah and her show. But it's probably fair to say that talk shows and soap operas aren't meant to engender critical thinking, which is important at all ages for continued mental health and acuity. Soap operas got their very name from the adverts that were run before, during, and after them: adverts for home products, pitched at women who were home during the day, caring for children and the household. Not that most television is any better, but it doesn't surprise me that women who watch large amounts of soap operas and talk shows are less "sharp." Not so much because of the shows themselves, but because the time spent watching those programs is time not spent engaged in activities that require different, higher-order thinking skills.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Duh, the TV has long been called "moron box"!

[almaty 19]

Duh, the TV has long been called "moron box"!

i agree with that and oprah helps speed up the process

[mercuryroad 0]

Oprah taught me how to love.....I guess that's stupid

If learning to love from Oprah is wrong then I don't wanna be right!

[Sister Fracas 5]

People love to hate Oprah for some reason...*shrug* Maybe they are just jealous of her success...hehehe.

While I rarely watch her show and agree with a lot of what Pax said, I DO give her a lot of credit for getting people reading. I don't care that people were just reading because she said this or that is a good book...the thing was she got some people (and kids) reading who hadn't picked up many books for pleasure in their entire life. I remember wayyyyyyyy back to one of her very first book club shows, she talked to a woman in the audience who hadn't read a book in over 20 years...OVER 20 YEARS!!!! So what if they are just reading because Oprah says it's good. They are READING!

[pax 0]

Good call...I forgot to mention the book club. Some of the books have been mediocre at best, but some have been quite good.

I think Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart should be her next pick.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I voted YES.

And it ain't just Oprah's show that makes people stupid...

[mercuryroad 0]

I voted YES.

And it ain't just Oprah's show that makes people stupid...

I have to agree with you......Fox News is terrible.

[Jenn! 918]

I voted YES.

And it ain't just Oprah's show that makes people stupid...

I have to agree with you......Fox News is terrible.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I voted YES.

And it ain't just Oprah's show that makes people stupid...

I have to agree with you......Fox News is terrible.

Watching Sean Hannity is worse than listening to him on his radio show. Either way, I can practically feel the brain cells dying while he talks!

Edit: But since I am the only one who voted "I'm already stupid", I guess it can't hurt me!

Edited March 21, 2006 by Agent Smith

[caviar22 1]

I like Oprah... but I don't sit around watching her show every day. Everything must be taken with a grain of salt. If I am home with nothing to do, I might turn the t.v. on.... but, on the other hand, that is only about 5 or 6 time in a year!!! I rarely watch television -- not much of worth there!