As I write this, I’m thinking about The Traitors. While I made my morning coffee, I was thinking about The Traitors. As I fall asleep at ni- you get the point. The Traitors has taken over every thought I have and I know I’m not alone in that.
In fact, according to Deadline, the reality show broke records on the first episode of this season, with 5 million of us tuning in to what’s arguably become one of the most important events in the TV calendar.
All of this being said, what is it that draws us to this show? Whether you are on the side of the Faithfuls or Traitors, we can all agree that emotional investment is inevitable.
To get to the bottom of this, HuffPost UK spoke with a psychologist who has researched the cognitive and social decision-making processes of
deception, Dr Gordon Wright.
Why we love shows like The Traitors
“One of the joys of The Traitors is the fact that it is an ever-changing team competition,” Dr Wright tells HuffPost UK.
“Whether the tasks add money to the prize fund, or the traitors are trying to sneakily sabotage the faithful, or whatever group shenanigans are going on, our basic psychology is being exploited.
“Humans yearn to belong, but the twists and turns of changing roles and groups within groups, leave us thrilled and energised. Sometimes we are part of the in-group, and we see ourselves reflected on the screen, other times we are booing
and criticising the participants’ decisions… sometimes both at once.”
I am definitely doing both at once. HOW did Linda last so long and why have they all turned on lovely Alexander?!
Of course, sitting at home and judging is absolutely a huge part of the fun and watching others make decisions you wouldn’t dream of is a great exercise in catharsis.
Wright enthused: “The Traitors is like a large scale psychological experiment, but aired for our viewing pleasure. It may seem voyeuristic, but how people think and behave in real-life is the fun of psychology!
“Seeing how people approach this ‘problem’, hearing them voice their strategies and then getting to see it play out, hearing how people talk about their skills and seeing whether they succeed or fail, is thrilling.
“The chance for us to cheer along, while pantomime heroes and villains either triumph or meet their demise in the castle, allows us to explore a moral limbo space without consequences or ethical concerns.”
Of course, we are all convinced that we couldn’t be fooled
I loved newly-banished Queen Minah as much as the next person, but in my mind, I think I would have sussed her out early on. There is such a thing as being TOO likeable in a game like The Traitors and she slotted right into that spot.
Of course, in reality, I would be clueless in the castle and watching contestants being as cocky as I am internally is great fun.
Wright explains that there is psychology behind this too, saying: “Psychological research shows us, with regards to the ability to accurately detect lies, there is no relationship between how good people think they are at it, or how good they say they are at it, and their actual ability to detect lies accurately.
“So, when someone claims to be able to win the cash because they can detect lies well, we put the kettle on and settle in for a fun journey.”
Our personality types can come into it, too
Wright suggests that ‘darker’ personality types may get a kick from this kind of show.
“That The Traitors requires deception, competition, rumour-mongering, deviousness, charm, ruthlessness and a modicum of patient planning, makes it sound like a normal day at the office for a Machiavellian personality type,” he explains.
“A part of the so-called Dark Triad of Personality, a group of three rather noxious personality types comprising Psychopaths, Narcissists and Machiavellians, they love to work in a morally ambiguous environment, where the ends justify the means.
“It’s rare that the normal rules of society are so totally subverted as they are in The Traitors, with truth, loyalty, cooperation, charity – all out of the window, and where vices suddenly become virtues.”
Basically, it’s comfort TV
Wright summarised saying: “The Traitors and other shows with the combination of pseudo-reality, competition and somewhat contrived rules or objectives, allow us to simulate a harsher, more morally ambiguous world from the safety of our sofas.”
The psychologist is also keen to express that contrary to popular belief, these shows aren’t guilty pleasures or trashy TV. Instead, he explains: “The information we can glean from people-watching on-screen isn’t useless by any means, even if it is edited down by a canny producer.
“It can offer antagonists for our mental rogues gallery, and the misbehaviour or treachery we watch can do plenty to protect us from real-world baddies.”
I can’t wait for the next episode.
The Traitors airs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights and the archive is available on BBC iPlayer.