A study from 2021 made the news recently because it confirmed several prior studies (but not all studies) that higher levels of “celebrity worship” indicated lower cognitive skills. It used 1,763 Hungarian adults and measured intelligence and abilities, and then tested them on their attitudes toward celebrities.
The results were eye-opening: the more of a “fan” a person was toward a celebrity (and the closer to celebrity worship that person was), the worse they scored on cognitive tests, that could not be accounted for by a specific demographic or other factors.
Other data suggested that other “problematic” issues such as excessive internet usage coincided with celebrity worship and had a negative effect on school/work performance.
So, does celebrity worship actually cause cognitive decline or is cognitive decline a side effect of celebrity worship because following the career of a favorite celebrity might interfere with school and work? Perhaps there will be another study to address that!
–Ginny