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Do Soaps & Talk Shows Dull The Brain?

Or Do Dull Brains Just Like Soaps & Talk Shows?

March 20, 2006
Researchers studying the TV viewing habits of elderly women suggest there is a link between watching soap operas and TV talk shows and declining mental capacity. They add, however, that it's not clear whether watching these shows cause the dip in brainpower, or people with weaker cognitive abilities simply find these shows appealing.

The research was carried out at the City University of New York by assistant professor Joshua Fogel and colleagues. Fogel obtained a federal grant for the study to determine what impact, if any, television has on the brains of older women, many of whom spend several hours a day watching TV.

Fogel said he became intrigued with the question after reviewing previous studies that looked at possible connections but failed to reach a conclusion.

In Fogel's study, researchers reviewed findings from a 1996 study of healthy women in Baltimore aged 70-79. The researchers tried to determine the women's favorite types of shows, asking them to choose from more than a dozen types. At the same time, all the participating women were tested for decision-making abilities and other cognitive skills.

Fogel said women who watched talk shows were seven times more likely to have long-term memory problems. The cognitive decline was even worse for soap opera fans, who were 13 times more likely to experience memory problems.

However, the study doesn't address cause and effect. Fogel said it is possible that people with cognitive impairment find it difficult to watch other types of programming. But Fogel also thinks it's possible that viewing shows that require little or no mental engagement might lead to a cognitive decline in older women.

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