Study Says Idol Fans Have Lower IQ, According to Hungarian Research
A study conducted at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Hungary revealed an intriguing finding: people obsessed with celebrities tend to have lower IQs compared to the average. The research suggests that excessive idolization of famous figures may be linked to reduced cognitive function and attention span.
Even individuals with high intelligence can experience this effect when crossing the line between being a passionate fan and becoming completely absorbed in an idol’s life. At that point, admiration turns into obsession, harming performance at work, school, and even personal relationships.
Study Says Idol Fans Have Lower IQ: How the Research Was Conducted
Hungarian researchers invited 1,763 adults to participate in the study. All answered a questionnaire designed to measure levels of celebrity admiration and fixation, known as the Celebrity Attitude Scale.
Participants also completed a series of intelligence tests evaluating two types of cognitive ability:
Fluid intelligence, which measures problem-solving and adaptability to new information.
Crystallized intelligence, which refers to knowledge accumulated through study and experience.
The results showed a clear correlation: the higher the level of celebrity obsession, the lower the scores in both fluid and crystallized intelligence. In other words, the more someone is fixated on celebrities, the lower their cognitive performance tends to be.
Why does this happen?
According to the authors, there are two possible explanations. The first is that people with lower IQs may be more prone to excessive idolization, possibly due to difficulty recognizing the commercial and media-driven nature of fame.
The second hypothesis is that even intelligent individuals, when dedicating excessive time and energy to following a celebrity’s life, end up sacrificing focus and mental resources. This emotional overload may reduce productivity, concentration, and intellectual performance over time.
Being a fan of an artist, actor, or singer is perfectly normal — to a point. The problem begins when admiration turns into dependency. People who spend hours consuming content about their idols or constantly seeking validation through them may be entering a harmful cycle of fixation.
Although published in 2022, this study went viral in Japan this week, sparking online debates such as:
“Makes sense. It’s university data-based research — investing in personal growth is more reasonable than wasting money on idols.”
“It’s all meaningless anyway. Especially for VTuber fans.”
“Anyone obsessed with something that much probably has a mental issue.”
“VTuber, idol, actor, and voice actor fans all seem dumb — maybe broke, maybe living off welfare, dedicating everything to idols.”
“Same with car or train otakus.”
“Then what’s a smart hobby?”
“Creating something yourself, improving yourself — that’s the real answer.”
“I always thought so. They probably think they’ll date their idol someday.”
“Extreme fandom becomes religion. No wonder they throw away money.”
“If it’s stress relief, fine. But it’s a problem when people go into debt for it.”
“Do studies like this even matter? I don’t see the value in just running surveys and statistics.”