posted March 22, 2006 01:52 PM            

Done by researchers at New York's Brooklyn College, the study found that elderly women who watch daytime soap operas and talk shows are more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment than women who don't watch them.

However, the investigators say it's not clear if watching these TV shows leads to weaker brainpower, or vice-versa.

There's definitely "something going on with those two types of television programming," said study co-author Joshua Fogel, an assistant professor of behavioral sciences at Brooklyn College. of the City University of New York.

In the study, Fogel and a colleague looked at data from a 1996 study of healthy women in Baltimore aged 70-79.

The researchers asked the women about their favorite types of TV shows, offering a list of 14 options including news, soap operas, comedies and game shows, among others.

The women also took tests for memory, decision-making abilities and other cognitive skills.

Of the 289 older women without dementia who were studied, those who rated talk shows and soaps as their favorite programs performed more poorly on tests of memory, attention and mental quickness than their peers who cited other types of shows.

They were also at greater risk of showing signs of clinical impairment. Those who favored soaps were more than seven times more likely to show signs of impairment on one of the tests, while talk show fans were more than 13 times more likely to show impairment.

Fogel said he doesn't know whether the programs somehow contribute to cognitive decline or whether women in the early stages of decline gravitate toward those shows.

Preferences for daytime TV could be a marker of a sedentary, homebound lifestyle, because research suggests that staying physically and socially active can help stave off mental decline.

Another possible explanation involves the fact that talk shows and soap operas involve so-called "parasocial relationships," where viewers feel a connection to a show's characters. This might make such shows better able to hold the attention of older women with some cognitive impairment.

Fogel said the study doesn't mean that 'Oprah' is bad for you, but may mean that fondness for the show signals a possible problem.

posted March 22, 2006 04:26 PM            

quote:

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Fogel said the study doesn't mean that 'Oprah' is bad for you, but may mean that fondness for the show signals a possible problem.

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posted March 22, 2006 04:41 PM            

Now...if they would ask those same people if they like to watch Reality TV....

posted March 22, 2006 08:47 PM              

Oprah is soooooo scary, that I never watch her, or I'd have nightmares.....eeeeeeeee

posted March 22, 2006 10:58 PM              

People just like Oprah!