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Why are we *so* drawn to things we hate? There’s something satisfying about reading about a celebrity you can’t stand or listening to a podcast that irks your nerves. It’s like the negativity is so attractive and all-consuming that you can’t but go back for more.

I’m not alone in this feeling. Many people engage in things they hate—look no further than hate-watchers. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, hate-watch is defined as taking “pleasure in laughing at or criticizing a disliked television show, movie, etc.”

People stream “Vanderpump Rules” or “The Real Housewives” series, even though they can’t stand the characters, the plotlines, and endless drama. Same goes for scripted shows and corny films like “Emily in Paris” or “Mamma Mia.” There are 24 hours in a day—and with most of our time being filled with work and familial responsibilities, why do we spend the few hours we have engaging we things we don’t like?

After all, isn’t feeling negative emotions supposed to be, well, bad? Turns out, the answer is complex.

Understanding Hate-Watching

Before we dive into the mechanics of hate-watching, let’s make a distinction between hate-watching and guilty pleasure viewing.

Hate-watching is watching something bad for the rage it brings. It evokes real feelings of hate, anger, and disgust. Guilty pleasure viewing, on the other hand, is watching something that we get real pleasure out of, but also induces feelings of guilt.

So if you watch “The Bachelor” because you love it but keep it a secret from your friends because you feel bad about watching it, you’re engaging in guilty pleasure viewing. However, if you watch “The Bachelor” because you love to make fun of the contestants and enjoy commiserating over it with your friends, that is hate-watching.

What Hate-Watching Is (And Isn’t!)

Hate-watching is stronger than just disliking something. When you dislike something you watch, you’re indifferent to it. If you’re hate-watch something, you’re purposefully activating more negative emotions. According to psychologist Caitlin Slavens, “people often feel irritation or frustration while watching, but there’s also a sense of enjoyment in picking apart or critiquing what they’re seeing.”

Dr. Charlynn Ruan, founder and CEO of Thrive Psychology Group, adds that watching someone else’s misfortune incites feelings of pleasure. She explains that hate-watching brings about kinship and community, noting that “often we hate-watch stories as part of a group, even if it is an online community where we can all align on disliking the same person or show,” she says. “This is an easy way to feel aligned with others around us.”

Psychological Reasons Behind Hate-Watching

At the core of hate-watching is the emotion of hate. So, why does hate-watching can feel pretty darn good? That’s because people prefer to experience the emotions they want, even if said emotions are negative. It sounds paradoxical but it’s true! People are happier experiencing negative emotions like sadness or anger if those are the emotions they want to experience. Which means hate-watching can be a rewarding experience.

But this is just one reason why we love hate-watching. Here are a few others:

Elitism

Social comparison theory is a psychological theory that suggests that we assess our personal and social values by comparing ourselves to others. Why does that matter? Well, elitism taps into this desire by watching people we feel are inferior. “Watching others whom we feel are inferior gives us a feeling of superiority, which feels pleasurable to us,” explains Dr. Ruan. “Also, if we share these feelings of elitism with others and they agree, we feel validated in the sense of a higher status.”

Elitism can also affect how we assess content. “If viewers feel what they are watching is not up to their standards, they feel more intelligent or superior to what they are watching, reinforcing the idea that their ideas are better than others,” says Slavens.

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is another factor in hate-watching. “Viewers are often let down by a reboot or sequel and how it doesn’t match up to the original they loved,” says Slavens. “They keep watching, though, almost as a way of maintaining a connection to their memories or ‘defending’ the legacy of the original.”

Similarly, you might hate-watch a film or TV show because it appeals to you differently. Think about “Sex and the City” and how viewers perceive the show and its characters differently based on their age. You might have loved Carrie or Samantha when you first watched the show, but years and many life experiences later, you can’t connect with these characters. Yet, you still stream the series because of nostalgia.

“Some shows we loved when we were young have views and characters that we are embarrassed to have enjoyed at one time,” says Dr. Ruan. “But we still enjoy the feelings associated with where we were when we first watched those shows.”

Bottom Line

In other words, though you may be hate-watching the show or movie now, you still remember the good feelings it gave you, and those memories and emotional connections are still pleasurable, even if there are things you now hate.

Secret Desire

Sometimes people secretly desire something depicted in a show or movie. Even if they won’t admit this yearning out loud (or to themselves internally), they may find themselves watching with fascination and longing.

“Sometimes, people hate-watch because [they] are intrigued or fascinated, even if they won’t admit it,” explains Slavens.

“This type of cognitive dissonance—when we feel conflicted between our outward stance and a hidden desire—drives people to engage with content they outwardly claim to dislike.”

Morbid Curiosity

When we keep watching something we say we hate, we may be exploring the “train wreck” aspect of people’s life choices and outcomes, thus satisfying our morbid curiosity. Dr. Ruan explains it like this: “We’re exploring things we’re curious about but would not want to try in our own lives. Things such as taboo topics, people with different lifestyles and beliefs, and risky behaviors.”

The Impact of Hate-Watching on Viewers

Hate-watching can have both positive and negative impacts on viewers. On the positive side, it can prompt self-reflection. “As they critique the content, they may question their values and preferences,” says Slavens. “If viewers notice they’re always hate-watching certain shows or following specific influencers, it may prompt them to reflect on why they dislike these shows or these individuals. Over time, this reflection can encourage a better understanding of personal values and even promote growth by challenging viewers to consider why they feel so strongly.”

Where Hate-Watching Goes Wrong

But there are many negatives to hate-watching, too. For example, hate-watching can lead to viewing the world negatively and seeing people as critical.

Hate-watching can make you judgmental.

“When we spend time being judgmental of others or gossiping to friends about others, even people on TV shows, we start to project onto others that they are judging us in the same way,” says Dr. Ruan. “So, often the most vocally judgmental people are those who most fear being judged. It can cause us to avoid risk for fear of being mocked the way we mock others.”

Slavens adds that “hate-watching can reinforce negativity or habitual critique of others,” noting that hate-watching *too* much may lead to viewing things (and people!) through a negative, critical lens.

It’s important to note that hate-watching doesn’t necessarily lead to empathy, growth, or a changed perspective in any way,” even if it satiates your curiosity or nostalgia, explains Dr. Ruan. Rather, she notes, “[it] solidifies stereotypes and dislike of people who aren’t like us.”

Cultural and Social Implications

Content is created and produced to generate revenue. So even if the content is hated, if it brings in viewers, people will still produce it. In fact, in some cases the more controversial, the better.

“Some producers and content creators lean into polarizing or controversial themes, knowing that viewers may continue to watch to see what happens next,” explains Slavens. “This can influence the content created, focusing more on content designed to stir strong opinions and beliefs.” Today that can be seen in reality shows that evoke strong opinions, like “The Kardashians” or “Vanderpump Rules.”

How Social Media Plays a Part

Social media has exacerbated this tendency. While hate-watching certainly existed before Instagram and Twitter, social media has increased the sense of community around hate-watching.

“Social media has expanded the ability to feel a sense of shared outrage and disgust with a wider group of people than before,” says Dr. Ruan. “This gives us a sense of belonging, elitism, and shared values with people we don’t even know personally. Reposting of hate-watching content also widens the reach of the content to those who might not seek it out on their own and gives a sense of social pressure to watch what others are talking about online.”

In other words, social media can make you invest more time and energy into hate-watching than you might have on your own.

Wrapping Up

While hate-watching is a normal human tendency, if it’s done too often, it could become a problem. Hate-watching a corny rom-com or cheesy teen TV show every day can lead to negative consequences such as feeling judged or viewing the world through a critical lens. However, there’s nothing wrong with occasionally hate-watching “The Kardashians” or “Sharknado” and gossiping about it with your besties. Just make sure you don’t spend every night hating what you watch.



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