As the popularity of “Hoarders” grows, fans often come up to me in person or comment online about their enthusiasm for their favorite episodes. However, some people – usually those who have never actually seen an episode – ask, “Why is the show so popular since we’re just seeing people really struggling with their stuff?”
Without saying it aloud, the implication is that viewers are rubbernecking an accident or that some measure of schadenfreude – pleasure derived from someone else’s misfortunes – is at play. And certainly in some small way, some viewers do watch with a sense of gratitude that whatever else is going on in their lives, “these problems are not our problems.”
However, given the tremendous feedback we receive, I think that “Hoarders” is appealing for many other reasons. Of the ones I hear the most, “Hoarders” serves not just as a destination on the remote control, but metaphorically as:
Mirror
Collectively, as viewers, we identify or relate to the justifications that hoarders use. When the person on-screen says, “I might need that some day,” or “I paid a fortune for that,” or “My Granny made that for me,” or “This is still perfectly usable,” it reflects the same reasons we hold on to possessions that we might not, strictly speaking, need.
No, we don’t have hoarding disorders, and so the severity of what we possess isn’t as entrenched. It’s more of a funhouse mirror, where the reflections are distended and bloated – but the emotions and thoughts of those spotlighted in the show do mirror our own ways of handling our belongings.
Motivator
Research shows that most people are motivated by either the carrot or the stick. We behave in such a way as to avoid pain or to seek pleasure. In general, more people’s actions are in line with avoiding painful experiences, and in this way, “Hoarders” doesn’t just act as a mirror, but a motivator.
When we turn on the television and see people with hoarding disorders struggling with their excessive clutter, it provides a wake-up call. We’re motivated to keep our own habits – of acquisition, of maintenance, of letting go of things we no longer want or need – in check, so that we can avoid the traumas we see on-screen. In the hours after a “Hoarders” episode airs, Facebook is rife with comments indicating how the show spurred watchers to attack their kitchens, basements and other surroundings.
“Hoarders” motivates people to edit current inventories and see that, for example, 40 blankets for one family are just too many – even if they live in Saskatchewan. “Hoarders” encourages viewers to limit what comes into the home by prompting a decision-making process, asking, for example, “Do we really need Halloween decor?” (For some, it might be even scarier to resist buying all the ghastly stuff we want and training ourselves to buy only what we need.)
Of course, the difference is that the people on the show are truly struggling with mental health disorders. The viewers are not merely motivated to improve, but also generally have the skills, focus and diligence to take that newfound motivation and use it to drive progress in their own lives.
I’ll be back next week with more reasons that people watch “Hoarders”. In the meantime, I’d love to know why YOU watch!
