A Mindset Media study suggests that which TV shows you watch can say a lot about your personality. It analyzed self-reported data of fans of more than 70 TV shows, including Mad Men, Family Guy, Glee, Dancing With The Stars, The Biggest Loser, Real Housewives of Orange County, and of course, The Office.
Here’s what the study said about The Office viewers:
Like Michael on the show, watchers of “The Office” think they are superior to others. In fact, folks who consider themselves superior to others are 47% more likely to watch this show. These alpha dogs believe they are extraordinary and happily brag about their accomplishments. They also prefer to be in charge, directing others rather than being directed.
What’s your opinion on this study?
Link: You Are What You Watch, Market Data Suggest
Tipster: hanley
Hmmmm. There’s been times where I feel like my sense of humor is superior to others due to The Office, but I certainly don’t like to lead. I’m a subordinate type.
That’s so weird because I am way more awesome than that description would let on.
Yup, that sounds about right :)
Yeah, and they are also 99% more likely to say “That’s what she said” at every single innuendo? *rolleyes*
It’s an amusing study but it’s based on self-reporting, which is inherently biased so I’ll take the results with a bucket of salt. Having said that, I do think folks who watch THE OFFICE based on personal experience tend to have more sophisticated senses of humor who don’t need laugh tracks to cue them as to when the funny happens. It’s in the quiet, subtle and awkward moments when the funny occurs in THE OFFICE and not in the traditional sitcom “punch lines” and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
@James, Amen! Well said. Also, there is a reason why I, and I know many others watch the episodes more than once or twice. The jokes are so fast and quick witted sometimes it’s hard to soak them all in just watching one time. One more thing, I have never seen a show where any of the office characters can just give one simple look to a camera and it says a thousand words without any lines involved.
Back in The Office’s heyday, I’d say yes. Since the humor devolved in recent seasons, I’d say not so much.
“Like Michael on the show, watchers of The Office think they are superior to others.” Wrong. We don’t think we are superior, we KNOW we are superior. And we have the plastic Dundie Awards to prove it!
Ha! Maybe that’s why fans get so irritated with Jim and Pam for acting all smug and superior sometimes…maybe THOSE fans are seeing a little of themselves and they don’t like it.
Not me though. I’m not one of THOSE fans. I never look down on others, or consider myself superior. I’m better than that. :-)
Doesn’t really surprise me. Reading various comments over the years, I think a lot of people take the show WAY too seriously.
I agree with Aimee #9. I think we’re all better than that.
I don’t agree. I’m glad I’m way above these kind of surveys.
Sounds about right…
Although, Tanster, I feel like you left out a very crucial part of the story.
“(A caveat: Yes, we know and agree that many humble people adore “The Office” and plenty of agenda-following realists love “Mad Men.” The study, and story, are about statistical group tendencies; that is, the increased likelihood that a group of people who watch a particular show will tend to have one or more similar personality traits. It is not saying that every individual watcher of “Glee” is open-minded and longs to buy a Volkswagen.)”
I don’t consider myself superior, I just hold humanity in contempt. So, six of one…
I’ve always thought of myself as way more awesome than everybody else. I’m glad i finally have some solid scientific evidence to back this up.
That’s a bunch of who-ha! According to this I think I’m better than everyone and I’m not creative. The Office and Biggest Loser are my two favorite shows. I don’t agree with this at all.
Yup, that’s me in a nut shell.
So, Office watchers are “snobs”…hmmm interesting. While I can be snobby in my preferences of what art I like I don’t condescend to others. (At least I try not to). I dunno…I think this study would be more interesting if they included more shows. Like Two and a Half Men and/or CSI.
But really art and life are two different things. Why I watch The Office is because my sense of humor is different from what is considered normal (more sophisticated, more twisted…whichever adjective you choose)
Oh, I’m sorry , I wasn’t paying attention, I was too busy feeling superior to others.
Tee-hee, all the wonderful “real life Michael Scotts” in my life are the same people who say to me, “The Office? It’s too weird, I don’t get it.” Or, “It’s too hard to watch, the hand-held camera makes me dizzy and it’s too quiet without a laugh track.” I’m totally not comfortable bragging about accomplishments nor do I feel superior to anyone (unless of course, they hate the Office–ha ha!), but sometimes I do like to be in charge!
I only communicate with beings on my mental level, so…
oh yeah forgot…I am on the opposite end of the bragging spectrum that Office watchers supposedly are. In fact, if anything I don’t brag enough. So that part makes no sense to me. Nor the being in charge part. I can take the lead but I don’t seek it out. Then again, this study says Family Guy watchers are “rebels” *rolls eyes*…I guess that’s my snobby side coming out again ;-)
I was tempted to be skeptical, but to be honest most of these fit the people I’ve seen who like these shows.
However I think there’s likely some demographic factors involved. “Family Guy” has teenage boys and young men as some of their most enthusiastic viewers, those groups are possibly more “rebellious” than normal. I think it’s plausible “The Office” gets slightly more “dorks” than average, dorky people are often people who did well in school and that may have affected their ego. Shows about how awful the restrictions of the past were, like Mad Men, are naturally going to attract liberals more.