New research states the many psychological reasons behind our need to follow in a celebrity's lifestyle footsteps
Since 2013 is coming to a close, most news organizations and
websites are producing their “best of” (and “worst of”) stories of the
year. So when searching for these types of year-end health features, I
was immediately drawn to a piece posted on MedicalDaily.com which covers
the biggest celebrity health battles.
The
number one story of the year was of course Angeline Jolie, who made a
decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy when genetic testing
revealed she was at a high risk for developing both breast and ovarian
cancer. In fact, so many women around the globe have become proactive
about their breast health that doctors (or maybe it was just the media)
have dubbed it “
The Angelina Jolie Effect.”
Question:
Would all of these women have run for a mammogram or genetic testing if
Angelina was not the A-lister she is, but just their cousin, friend or
co-worker? Maybe a few women, but I highly doubt the majority would have
done more than send a “thinking of you” email.
Why or why are we
so influenced by celebrities? Is it because of their talent? Their good
looks? Their publicity team? According to researchers at McMaster
University in Ontario it has to do with the way our brains are wired.
Steven
Hoffman, lead study author and assistant professor of clinical
epidemiology and biostatistics at McMaster University's DeGroote School
of Medicine told LiveScience that there are
numerous psychological factors involved,
including classical conditioning (Pavlov’s dog, with the celeb as
Pavlov and you as the dog), self-conception (“He’s hot, I’m following
his cause”), cognitive dissonance (“I know his advice sound kooky, but I
love him so I’m going to follow his plan anyway”), the halo effect
(“He’s the best actor, which means he’s the best at everything”) and
herd behavior (“If he’s doing it, that means everyone is doing it”).
Angelina
seems to have made a positive impact in terms of breast health. As for
the other celebrities mentioned in the MedicalDaily article...:
Michael Douglas, who put the spotlight on throat cancer…no, tongue cancer…no, who are we kidding, oral sex.
Amanda Bynes, who reminded us that mental illness is no laughing matter (regardless of a very comical Twitter account)
Football players, who realized that countless hits in the head can lead to brain-related injuries. Wow.
And Chris Brown, who showed us that the halo effect is not a factor with every celebrity.
