Aug 24, 2009

The Power of Soap

A recent study from the University of Michigan, looked at college women's real life relationships and their admiration for female TV characters. A 'preoccupied attachment style (constantly need to question a partner's love) was linked to increased idealization of a favourite character's behaviour.

While an obsession with fictional TV characters seems to make some women more needy, different research from the University of Chicago showed that watching soaps can embolden women.

A study of 2,500 women in rural India found that those who lived in villages with cable TV, were less likely to see spousal beating as acceptable. The researchers believe that by exposing rural households to urban attitudes and values, cable television may contribute to the empowerment of women.

Posted in: Lifestyle