Does watching certain tv shows make you more intelligent?

Richard Dower

Not literally (well...maybe?), but in terms of the genre of show. Lets say you watch Mad Men or so called "high brow" shows make you think you have better taste in shows, more refined.

Wheras if you say watch Gossip Girl or X Factor people say that you're cheap, tasteless and unintelligent?, now while i somewhat equate this topic to my own much maligned here choice of tv shows (teen drama) etc. i want to ask this generally.

Are the Honey Boo Boo generating white trash and your Breaking Bad/Game Of Thrones set the high end of the tv tree?
Personally i watch a variety of genre, it's about appeal and entertainment....i LOATHE your reality crap but admit i was a huge BB fan for 10 years (not now), i watch some Discovery reality shows but you'd NEVER catch me dead watching Jersey Shore.

I loathe Mad Men....so i guess that makes me a dumbo right?....but i love Southland, so?

I'm just floating some topics for discussion, we all have different tastes

hayser

The only show I felt more intelligent for watching was Lost. Because of the range of multi cultures, languages, books, scientific and philosophic theories put forward I would tend to research these, in order to keep up with the show. Also I would occasionally go to fan forums and other posters would post about different fact and theories based on findings by scientists, experts, etc so I always felt I was getting to know a bit more about the world that I may otherwise not have known about.

Lovely Bloke

When I get at least one answer to a question in University Challenge, before one of the contestants gets it, I feel extremely intelligent.

neaideabh

watching certain tv shows means your ARE more intelligent than others. Ie: Not sure what programmes would determine high intelligence but programmes such as Geordie Shore, made in Chelsea and x-factor would indicate retardation imo!

pixelburp

Sure, I think X-Factor and its ilk is trash of the highest order, but it's clearly not for me so I simply ignore it *shrug* That seems like a key concept of common sense lost on a lot of people who seem compelled to insist upon others their preferences or prejudices.
Now more than ever we have total control of our TV viewing pleasure, arguably it's a more diverse medium than at any point in the past, so I don't feel the need to make myself feel bigger by belittling other peoples tastes; there's plenty out there for me. Equally, watching so-called highbrow TV doesn't automatically make me a better person.

Sometimes I eat steak. Sometimes I eat hamburger; a balanced diet is important & generally healthier, but I don't sneer at a little indulgence, or act like some things are beneath me.

neaideabh

pixelburp wrote: »

Sure, I think X-Factor and its ilk is trash of the highest order, but it's clearly not for me so I simply ignore it *shrug* That seems like a key concept of common sense lost on a lot of people who seem compelled to insist upon others their preferences or prejudices.
Now more than ever we have total control of our TV viewing pleasure, arguably it's a more diverse medium than at any point in the past, so I don't feel the need to make myself feel bigger by belittling other peoples tastes; there's plenty out there for me. Equally, watching so-called highbrow TV doesn't automatically make me a better person.

Sometimes I eat steak. Sometimes I eat hamburger; a balanced diet is important & generally healthier, but I don't sneer at a little indulgence, or act like some things are beneath me.

Bull****.... There is way more to it than picking on other peoples tastes.
These programs are tabloid tv. They are targeting the masses and breeding a generation of greed, stupidity and ignorance.
I'm sorry, but people who watch this manure deserve to be picked on and be victims of prejudice and whatever else you're on about!

Clareman

I always feel smarter after watching QI, sometimes I feel smarter after watching University Challenge, but that'll depend on whether I knew the answer to any of the questions.

I usually feel dumber after watching X-Factor cause I'm normally down the pub while the wife watches it.

BopNiblets

Clareman wrote: »

I usually feel dumber after watching X-Factor cause I'm normally down the pub while the wife watches it.

Down the pub killin brain cells? :pac:

QI is great though, I like the debunking facts like you really can go swimming after eating, the wait 1 hour thing is bunk.
And Mythbusters, you can polish a turd!

Clareman

Don't forget Bear Grylls, I know exactly what to do if I'm stuck on a dessert island, or a volcano, or Iceland, actually, I know that prevention is better than the cure.

Kirby

Quiz shows already mentioned like QI and university challenge and their ilk do make you more intelligent. Regular and repeat viewings mean you actually start to absorb some of the facts they talk about....thus making you smarter.

But watching Mad men over the X-factor doesn't make you more intelligent. It's just a sign of taste. A sign that you either have it or don't.

Busted Flat.

The likes of Mrs Brown would certainly enhance you intelligence, a great deal. Probably puts your chances, getting a degree in the media, up by 50% or even more.

Nonoperational

I certainly know more about the US political system after watching the West Wing!

im invisible

watching QI makes me smarter, watching x factor makes me feel smarter

don ramo

it means noting, while i do believe reality TV is complete crap at the end of the day game shows are reality TV, its members of the public going on TV showing us there skill and intelligence, i dont talk about jersey shores simply because i dont watch it, its premise doesnt appeal to me, i know a few bit and pieces about, like the fact they have 3 or 4 staff writer, which means the show is in actual fact scripted to a degree, and that the people on the show are not actually as stupid as some people say they are, at the end of the day they negotiated multi million dollar contracts and have successful businesses, anyone who believes that that show is completely reality tv to me are idiots, i have to fins out this idiotic information to use against people who argue with me about it, taking up valuable brain computing capacity,

TV show are designed to entertain, and the people making these shows have 7 billion people to make shows for, thats why you have hundreds if not thousands of shows being made around the world, as "popular" as these shows are they are really only watched by a fraction of the population, in america shows like x factor and american idol are only watched by 20 million viewers MAX, that's only about 7% of the population, they are the most popular shows, the reason the show is talked about even more if because you have people everywhere like here, in pubs, restaurants and hanging off cliffs complaining about these stupid shows which make the stupid ****ing things even more popular, cause everytime you mention x factor it moves up another step in popularity,

best thing to do is say you dont watch the show, and move on to another subject,