The NBC show "Fear Factor" may be too real for some people. Watching people stick their heads in a pool filled with snakes or eating live slugs may be too much for the ticker. A recent study finds that viewers become more distressed while watching the show compared with watching a movie with the same circumstances.
Michael Vandehey, Ph.D. and Celeste McCarty from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, measured the heart rates of 60 subjects while they watched television. They were shown two clips, one from the show and one from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In both clips, people were covered with insects.
The clip from the Temple of Doomincreased participants' heart rates by eight beats per minute. Yet the "Fear Factor" upped viewers' heart rates by 11 beats per minute. Participants also reported more negative emotions while watching the reality stunts. “Why is the yuck factor so appealing?" ponders Stuart Fischoff, Ph.D., a media expert and professor of psychology at California State University at Los Angeles "It allows people to participate vicariously.”
