It’s been a long day and all you want to do is put on your oversized sweats, pour your preferred beverage and stream your favorite reality TV show. Whether it’s The Real Housewives, Survivor or Flip This House, we can’t seem to get enough. Ever since The Real World debuted in 1992 on MTV, reality TV has been the guilty pleasure that keeps on giving. But why? Why do we love to live our lives vigorously through the reality stars we think we know?
John Francis Leader, a cognitive scientist who specializes in media at University College Dublin, says that the research is still catching up, but in general, reality TV meets two uniquely human needs. “We innately have two competing drives: one, to be safe and comfortable, and the other, to enjoy adventure and risk,” he says. “While in real life these can be diametrically opposed, reality television meets both of them at the same time.”
