Watching soaps does dull the brain

DOWN the decades, parents have warned children that too much television will rot their brain.

Now a study has discovered that watching too many soaps may really make people more stupid.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London found those frequently exposed to shows such as Dallas and Dynasty as children were ‘cognitively disadvantaged’ in later life.

The researchers investigated the impact of light entertainment TV in Italy over 30 years. These included soaps and quiz shows such as The Price Is Right.

The study of adults who had grown up with these shows between 1981 and 1990 found that those with greater exposure to them scored 5 per cent lower in tests of mental ability than their peers.

The findings show the effect of viewing habits in young children, whose brains are still developing. Study leader Dr Andrea Tesei, from the university’s school of economics and finance, said: ‘This may be due to a “substitution effect”, whereby children who are watching light entertainment are not doing other, possibly more intellectually stimulating, activities.’

The study also raises concerns about how watching light entertainment shows can affect how people vote or behave in later life, because it was linked with 13 per cent less interest in politics and a 10 per cent lower chance of someone volunteering.