Brains hardwired to follow celebrities?

[Smartmarzipan]

Viewpoint: Did our brains evolve to foolishly follow celebrities?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23046602

Fame is a powerful cultural magnet. As a hyper-social species, we acquire the bulk of our knowledge, ideas and skills by copying from others, rather than through individual trial-and-error. However, we pay far more attention to the habits and behaviours demonstrated by famous people than those demonstrated by ordinary members of our community.

............

Another example of the way in which celebrities act as cultural magnets is that we frequently copy traits that have little, if anything, to do with what made them successful in the first place - like the clothes they wear, their hairstyles, or how they talk.

That's basically the reason that companies sponsor stars to use their products. Celebrities are always on the TV and in the media, so of course getting them to wear your brand of jeans or wristwatch is a great way to give them exposure.

But it's not just about getting your products in the public eye. You wouldn't know from images on TV or in a newspaper or on a computer screen what kind of underpants David Beckham wears, what coffee George Clooney drinks, or what perfume Beyonce smells of.

Companies get celebrities to advertise these kinds of products because they know that our perceptions of value are actively influenced by fame. Celebrity endorsements not only make products more visible, they make them more desirable.

So why is this?

We might focus on the anthropology of prestige. Prestige is a form of social status that is based on the respect and admiration of members of one's community. It is particularly interesting for anthropologists because it seems to be a unique characteristic of our species, and something that is universal to all human cultures.

In other primates, social hierarchies are typically based on dominance, which is different from prestige because it implies fear, and the threat of violence.

Individuals defer to more dominant animals because if they fail to let them have what they want then it would be perceived as a challenge to their status, which they will defend by force. Many types of hierarchy in human society are similarly characterised by dominance.

However, unlike other primates, we also differentiate social status in terms of prestige. In contrast to dominance, prestige is given voluntarily. It is freely conferred to individuals in recognition of their achievements in a particular field, and is not backed up by force.

How did such systems arise? The most convincing theory suggests that prestige evolved as part of a package of psychological adaptations for cultural learning. It allowed our ancestors to recognise and reward individuals with superior skills and knowledge, and learn from them.

Although the bias for preferentially imitating prestigious individuals has generally helped promote the spread of adaptive behaviours, anthropologists have suggested that it can make us susceptible to copying traits that are of no use in themselves, or which may even be harmful.

The reason for this is that prestige-biased learning is a very general strategy that is targeted at successful role models, rather than specific traits. This is precisely what makes it such a powerful and flexible tool - because the traits that make someone successful will vary significantly in different environments, so it makes sense to copy whoever happens to be doing best at a particular time and place.

However, because this strategy is somewhat indiscriminate, it can lead to people adopting all kinds of behaviours exhibited by a role model, including ones that have nothing to do with their success.

Let me illustrate the point by way of an analogy to diet. We have an evolved preference for sweet-tasting and fatty foods because they motivated our ancestors to seek out ripe fruits and meat, which are rich in essential nutrients. But in today's world of mass-produced confectionary and intensive agriculture, these previously adaptive tastes have led to a massive obesity epidemic and all the health problems it's associated with.

Similarly, we can think of the mass-media as junk food for the mind. Quick. Convenient. But not exactly nutritious. We gorge ourselves on images of wealth and success because they appeal to our appetite for prestige. But are celebrities actually good role models?

A very interesting article on our obsession with famous people and how they influence us.

[Plu]

I must be brain damaged, then. :P

[Solitary]

They are good roll models if they are like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, or Jodie Foster.  :-D  Solitary

[aitm]

the average person is an idiot. And I do mean a complete fucking idiot. For proof I offer the most popular television shows.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I shorted our long ago on celebs.. Unless they come to my door offering me a slice of the pie they can fuck off for the most part.. TV? I haven't watched it for 6 months except a few ball games here and there.. once in a great while the local news, but othee than that.. ________ flat line ________

[stromboli]

Partly guilty. Steve McQueen was my favorite star back in the 60's. In The Sand Pebbles, he plays a rebellious sailor. When asked where he was from, he said "Utah" when asked why he joined the Navy- "because there ain't much water in Utah." That wasn't my reason for joining the Navy, but what I told people.  :)

[GalacticBusDriver]

Except for when they're doing their jobs (acting, singing, et al...) I could give a fuck about what the celebrities are up to. Just don't care.

the average person is an idiot. And I do mean a complete fucking idiot. For proof I offer the most popular television shows.

Seconded!

And, I get so fucking sick and tired of hearing "When I was a kid, we had gooooood TV." Bullshit. TV has never (in general) been good. Occasionally (once or twice in each generation) one or two shows will rise above the mediocrity that is television, but they are the extreme exception.

[Elohim]

Sometimes I feel like people follow popular celebrities only because they want to be in the know. They feel like everyone else cares and don't want to be left out of the conversation.

[Johan]

I usually try to avoid celebrities. Years ago, I worked on the ramp at a resort airport. I did the ground handling for quite a few aircraft with celebrities on board. I rarely ever spoke a word to any of them. If I was involved in handling their aircraft, I would generally handle whatever task would keep me as far from them as possible and let someone else deal with interacting with the celeb's. I just had zero interest in interacting with anyone who might assume me to be just another asshole fanboy that wanted to meet them.

'Welcome back Mr Trump. I'll drive you to your limo. How would you like... toupee for that service?' I didn't want to be that guy so I left that shit for the other guys to deal with.

[hillbillyatheist]

something to keep in mind is "celebrity" doesn't have to mean the kardashians, bieber or katy perry.

atheists might react similarly to dawkins, or sagan.

If you like country music, or death metal, you may have adopted clothing styles or some other such thing because your favorite celebrity did it. maybe took up guitar, or some such.

I play fiddle in part because of folks like Charlie Daniel's and Alison Krauss.
so before you get on a high horse and sneer on the populace, you might want to broaden your definition of celebrity. LOL

forget Justin Beiber and his ilk.

think about people you admire, and have tried to emulate.

[Plu]

Unless it's subconsciously, I don't really emulate anything. Especially not "dressing like" any celebraties. Unless hobos are celebrities as well :D

I do emulate my friends though. But that's because I actually get to know them. I don't know much about other people that I listen to in daily life. It always amazes me when people can come up with all these facts about musicians and tv stars and stuff. I love a whole lot of bands, but I consider it remarkable when I know the names of the members and the country they are from. For most, I don't.

Come to think of it. I only know the first names and country of origin for one band that I listen to.

[Smartmarzipan]

something to keep in mind is "celebrity" doesn't have to mean the kardashians, bieber or katy perry.

atheists might react similarly to dawkins, or sagan.

If you like country music, or death metal, you may have adopted clothing styles or some other such thing because your favorite celebrity did it. maybe took up guitar, or some such.

I play fiddle in part because of folks like Charlie Daniel's and Alison Krauss.
so before you get on a high horse and sneer on the populace, you might want to broaden your definition of celebrity. LOL

forget Justin Beiber and his ilk.

think about people you admire, and have tried to emulate.

Exactly, thank you.

I can't think of anyone that doesn't admire some sort of a famous person.

[Plu]

I can't think of anyone that doesn't admire some sort of a famous person.

What would be required to "admire" a famous person? I may very well qualify, depending on what you think neccesary to call it "admiration".

[FrankDK]

> the average person is an idiot.

That should be the second post in almost every thread on this forum.  It offers tremendous explanatory power for social and belief phenomena.

Frank

[FrankDK]

> I can't think of anyone that doesn't admire some sort of a famous person.

No one has ever heard of the people that I admire.

Frank