Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, and the Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield queue-jumping drama, are the top celebrity stories Brits admit they cared too much about last year.
Almost half of adults (44%) confess they spend too much time caring about celebrity gossip that makes no difference to their lives, according to a poll of 2,000 people.
More than a third (36%) claimed they spent too long thinking about Harry and Meghan, and how their stepping down from official duties would affect they Royal family.
And two in five (38%) were irritated that Kylie Jenner waited nine months to reveal her baby son's name after he was born.
In fact, a whopping 80% of Brits admit they know more about celebrities' lives than they do about their own parents, while half of those polled said the same about their friends.
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%) like to be the first to share a celebrity story among their friends and followers.
Despite this, 61% of respondents believe the media give too much space and energy to covering entertainment and celebrities.
But they admit to reading it because it’s entertaining (37%), they like to keep up to date (29%), and they like to read up and then join the discourse on social media (25%).
And more than a fifth (22%) also said it distracts them from the goings on of their everyday life.
Nearly three in ten (28%) said they care more about celebrity culture than the cost-of-living crisis, while 21% admitted they even care less about their kid’s school play – and 10% are less concerned about their partner than celeb news.
A third admit 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.
And a further 31% agree reading about the lives of celebrities and their antics makes them feel dissatisfied with their own life.
However, 33% believe their life would be better if they could more easily ignore celebrity gossip and social media.
And the study, by OnePoll, also revealed that 29% of respondents plan on having a new year’s resolution for 2023.
Among the top resolutions are taking better care of myself (56%), caring less about news and celebrity gossip (35%), and exercising more.
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
