Some British adults know more about the lives of celebrities than their own friends
Brits admit they are plagued with celebrity obsessions – such as Matt Hancock coming third in I’m a Celeb, what Molly-Mae will name her child and the Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield queue-jump fiasco.
A poll of 2,000 adults found 44 per cent admit to caring about things that make no difference to their life.
Half of respondents said they know more about celebrities’ lives than they do their friends’, a further 80 per cent said they knew less about their mum and dad.
And 38 per cent said they were bothered by the fact Kylie Jenner still hasn’t revealed her son’s name eight months after he was born.
A further 36 per cent said they spent too long thinking about how Harry and Meghan stepping down from royal duties would affect the Royal family.
Mark Manson, creator of the global self-help phenomenon ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!’ which has been adapted into a feature documentary and is available to watch on digital platforms from today, said: “We have a tendency to overestimate what’s popular.
“We think because a celebrity is famous, what’s going on in their lives must also be important.
“When really, what’s going on in a celebrity’s life has little to no effect on our own.
“It’s important this year to refocus on what actually matters to us, and stop using what’s happening to others as a distraction from that.”
It was found one in five (22 per cent) like to be the first to share a celebrity story among their friends and followers.
Despite this, 61 per cent of respondents believe the media give too much space and energy to covering entertainment and celebrities.
But read it because it’s entertaining (37 per cent), they like to keep up to date (29 per cent) and they like to read up and then join the discourse on social media (25 per cent).
More than a fifth (22 per cent) also said it distracts them from the goings on of their everyday life.
While 28 per cent said they care more about celebrity culture than the cost-of-living crisis, 21 per cent admitted they even care less about their kid’s school play and 10 per cent are less concerned about their partner than celeb news.
A third said they have been told by a friend, colleague or family member that they are paying too much attention to celebrity news over more important things in life.
A further 31 per cent agree reading about the lives of celebrities and their antics makes them feel dissatisfied with their own life.
However, 33 per cent believe their life would be better if they could better ignore celebrity gossip and social media.
Of those who took part in the study by OnePoll, 29 per cent are planned on having a new year’s resolution for 2023.
With taking better care of myself (56 per cent), caring less about news and celebrity gossip (35 per cent) and exercising more the top resolutions.
Mark Manson added: “For some people, social media and celebrity gossip can become a sort of addiction where they spend hours each day scrolling through news about them.
“But focusing on the lives of celebrities is just another distraction from dealing with the struggles and pain in our own lives.
“Ultimately, when we learn to face our own challenges, we will feel less of a need to vicariously live through the lives of others."
News stories Brits cared too much about:
Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars
Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield hop the queue
Matt Hancock coming third in ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’
Harry and Meghan Netflix show
‘Wagatha Christie’: Colleen Rooney vs Rebekah Vardy
Kim Kardashian wears Marilyn Monroe dress
Kylie Jenner yet to reveal baby son’s name
‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Olivia Wilde vs Harry Styles drama
Kim and Kanye divorce
Kim Kardashian gets together with Pete Davidson
