Have you ever met someone that seemed like they just stepped off the set of Jersey Shore? Someone whose whole identity is so set in stone that they try to enforce it upon every small interaction they have? These individuals are prime examples of how movies and television have set the bar so high for entertainment value that people believe standing out and acting out have become one in the same.

Characters in movies are constantly quipping, making jokes and carrying out this theatrical persona. Uttering overly dramatic statements and intense monologues that no one ever seems to interrupt. This type of behavior doesn’t translate to the real world. Treating your life like a variation of scenes is only going to turn you off to other characters. I know this because I’ve tried it dozens of times. I manipulated conversations in a way that set up a joke I wanted to tell or a point I wanted to make. Completely disregarding the other people/characters in the scene. I was so focused on seeming clever that I came off as annoying and needy.

Movies conveniently skip all the ho-hum facets of daily life because 90% of it is boring and uneventful. It is fundamentally wrong to base real world expectations off of fictitious movies and TV shows. How do we escape this cruel fate if we are constantly bombarded with media 24/7? We don’t. Once we’ve been exposed to a compelling story and the characters in it, our entire life is subconsciously sprinkled with the ideology and ethos of the show. We call ourselves “fans” of the entertainment which is a soft-handed label. What we actually become are rabid consumers of the product. We may not necessarily agree with the themes and morals of the show, but if it engaged us and kept us emotionally invested the whole way through, it plants idea seeds in our brain. This is how they get us to buy their merchandise. We want to show the world who we are by displaying what we’ve seen. The popular euphemism “You are what you eat” was not in regards to food.

Typically, when a group of people walk out of a theater after watching a comedy, there is this subtle competition over who can make the best joke the rest of the night. They typically begin the competition by talking about their favorite scenes in the movie, but once they’ve exhausted all the highlights, they channel that humorous energy into creating their own jokes. Movies affect our mindset long term AND our behavior short term. It’s for this reason that people of all the ages feel this incredible urge to fight/punch something after watching an intense action movie. Or after watching a horror movie, they’ll shampoo with their eyes open for the next two weeks.

The entertainment we consume affects us in a variety of ways so I’d strongly advise you to constantly reflect on the type of content you’re digesting. How does watching that show make you feel? Do you get the urge to curl up in fetal position after an episode? Is that feeling of dread (which isn’t your own) weighing down on your psyche in a negative manner? Entertainment of all mediums is at an all-time high in accessibility. There is a cost to indulging ourselves in them so I urge you to consider whether or not the juice is worth the squeeze.