A bit harsh if you ask us.
If you spend most of your free time consuming celebrity news and gossip then you might be in for some bad news, as a study has found that those obsessed with celebrities are less intelligent.
The Hungarian study, published in BMC Psychology last year, asked 1,763 adults to take part in a 30-word vocabulary test, as well as a digit symbol substitution test, before asking them to complete a questionnaire on their attitudes towards celebrities to determine their celeb interest levels.
The questionnaire asked participants to answer yes or no to a number of statements, such as “I often feel compelled to learn the personal habits of my favorite celebrity” and “I am obsessed by details of my favorite celebrity’s life.”
Other statements included: “If I were lucky enough to meet my favorite celebrity, and he/she asked me to do something illegal as a favor I would probably do it.”
Those interested in celebrities are less intelligent, claims study
Unfortunately, the research found that “there is a direct association between celebrity worship and poorer performance on cognitive tests.” This ultimately means that those who scored higher on the celeb questionnaire generally tended to score lower in the intelligence tests.
Participants’ income, wealth and education levels were also noted in the test, although it’s unclear if any of those factors had an impact on the final results.
However, talking to psypost.org, those behind the study said that it’s unclear whether celebrity worship is the cause or consequence of reduced cognitive ability, stating that it “may be that individuals with higher levels of cognitive skills are more likely to understand the marketing strategies behind a famous person,” which would lead them to being less vulnerable to celebrity worship.
Whether the results of the study are conclusive or not, we think it’s fair to say it doesn’t really matter either way – go enjoy your celeb goss!
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