TV Shows - do they affect your outlook?

[DDTempest]

I've noticed more and more over the past few months that I may (or may not) be affected more psychologically by the TV shows I watch than others. So I figured I would see if any of you have noticed anything similar.

As I'm burning through series after series, I find myself developing an emotional connection with the characters and often feel more emotion towards the events in a show than I do about things in my own life. Sure, this could simply be events in my life taking longer than 55 minutes to unfold giving me more time to process them; but at the very least this is a testament to the quality of modern TV writing.

Examples:

Deadwood - while watching this show, I was more apt to be confrontational, and less apt to back down when I felt I was right.

The Wire - I was more sympathetic to the downtrodden's life circumstances

Mad Men - I feel more masculine and find women and less masculine men to be less credible people.

Breaking Bad - Made me want to fight my way out of terrible circumstances and go in the face of whats morally acceptable.

Anyone able to relate? Never thought about it? What shows impacted you while watching them?

[Saint DH]

I definitely understand what you mean, especially about developing a "connection" with the characters of the show. Some shows have this power while others do not. Even shows that I really enjoy watching sometimes do not invoke these feelings. For example, I love watching True Blood, but I don't really give a shit about the characters. But Deadwood, for instance, well, the characters are so unique and well-developed that it's impossible to not care about what happens with them. I can't say that this show has affected my behavior much, but I have begun using the word "cocksucker" much more frequently to refer to others.

[thekremlin]

I've started solving a lot more mysteries. Might be all the scooby doo I've been watching.