15 Reasons Reality TV Is Good For The Soul

Come on, admit it: you absolutely adore reality television. Sure, you might watch the latest critically acclaimed drama, aka the pop culture flavor of the month, whether that's Stranger Things or Breaking Bad. You love those shows like everyone else and you can see the quality in them. But sometimes, when you're sick and tired/just want to chill out for a bit/for about a million reasons, a girl just needs a good dose of reality TV, and there's really nothing wrong with that. You might keep this a secret from even your closest friends because you think these shows are silly and superficial. Well, yeah, they are definitely are both of those things, but that's actually totally okay. Let's say goodbye to the notion of a guilty pleasure and just remove the guilt entirely. Here are 15 reasons why reality TV is good for the soul. So embrace your Real Housewives and have fun.

15 It's Not All Fluff

Let's just get this out of the way right here, right now: yes, some reality shows are absolutely fluff. They don't require a ton of concentration and you can watch them while scrolling through Instagram and Twitter. That's multi-tasking at its finest and that's how you watch TV a lot of the time. But then there are the shows (or the seasons of shows) that deal with a lot of really important issues. Just look at the latter seasons of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey. Sure, there were petty arguments and larger fights that have become total staples of the franchise, but there were also legal problems and jail time and friendship issues and family problems. Or look at any season of Teen Mom, which shines a light on the issue of teen pregnancy and talks about growing up in the face of great adversity. Nope, no fluff there.

14 It Can Be Moving

If you've never cried during a reality TV show, then you're definitely lying, because sometimes the stories are really moving and it's impossible not to get emotional. Just try to keep your eyes totally and completely dry when you watch housewives fight and make up because you just know they're meant to be best friends forever. Or when you watch Maci finally get engaged on Teen Mom OG or when you watched Bethenny get married on, well, Bethenny Getting Married, her spin-off from a while back. Of course, now she's getting divorced and it's a great big messy process, but you were super moved at the time. The thing is that while lots of people think there's really no reason to watch these shows, you do care about the people as much as you would on a scripted drama or sitcom. So there's no reason to look down on them or think that it's any different.

13 It's About Real People

Reality TV, of course, is not always super real. You know that and everyone knows that, but that doesn't mean that the people on these shows are totally made-up or manufactured. They're still real people with real problems in (somewhat) real situations. Okay, so sometimes situations are edited and you don't always get to see what really, really happened. For instance, the camera captures a few people having lunch and you see two minutes of it but when they really there for two whole hours. But that doesn't mean they're not real. You can relate a lot more to someone going through a break-up on The Hills or friends fighting on any Housewives show than you can to Buffy fighting her vampires or any single character on Mad Men. Just being honest here. So the next time you curl up with any reality show, don't apologize and don't feel any shame. You don't need to.

12 It's Funny

The truth is that reality shows can be really funny. More than that, they can be absolutely hilarious, and sometimes you just need that. Okay, you pretty much always need that. A girl can only watch slow-moving, well-crafted dramas for so long before she needs something lighter. So the next time you want to laugh like you have never laughed before, you might want to skip the sitcoms or comedy movies and cue up a reality TV episode. You can literally choose any episode from any show, no matter what the genre or subject, and you are pretty much guaranteed to laugh your face off. That is just the way that it is designed or something. People are always mad at someone for zero reason or making faces that probably are not meant to be funny… but they totally are and you are going to laugh, no doubt about it.

11 It's Educational

Okay, you might not think that "educational" and "reality TV" are two terms that fit together or can even be in the same sentence. But they absolutely can and here is why: because you can learn a lot from these shows. You might not think so, but you are definitely learning anyway, whether you realize it or not. Every time you see friends discuss their relationship and try to figure out where to go from here, you are learning how to fight fair with your own besties. Every time you see someone try to get somewhere in their career or start their own business, you are picking up business tips, for better or for worse (because you might not always want to copy what people do on these shows, of course). Hey, it is always a good thing to learn how to deal with people in a better, more effective way, right?

10 It's Diverse

Hey, say what you want about reality television, but the truth is it's pretty diverse. There are shows about people from all kinds of social-economic backgrounds, from all types of cultures, in all areas of the world. There are shows about religion, there are shows about spirituality, and there are shows featuring mediums who can talk to those who have crossed over (and those are pretty popular right now). But beyond the diversity of the people that appear on these shows, the subjects themselves are diverse, and you can pretty much find any topic that you're looking for. You can watch a business show like Dragon's Den that features entrepreneurs with their own product ideas trying to see if they can make it big and strike it rich. You can watch a show about a regular college student balancing her love life with being a medium, like the amazing Monica The Medium. Or you can check out last summer's Becoming Us, about teenage boy Ben dealing with his budding photography interests and his dad becoming Carly.

9 It's Fun

You can't be a superfan of reality TV and not agree that you love it so much because sometimes it's just plain old fun. That's why you watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians, right? You just want to chill out, lie on your couch for a few hours, and have some fun. You're tired of dramas that seem to be trying to preach to you or supernatural mysteries that sometimes make your brain hurt if you're being honest. You just want a fun show, and these series always deliver, no doubt about it. You are absolutely guaranteed to have a positive viewing experience and you are definitely going to be entertained. You can't always say that, even about your absolute favorite shows. Sometimes you get super bummed out when you're just trying to relax because a series finale isn't as good as you thought it would be… or you expected it to be.

8 It's Foolproof

Sometimes you get all excited to watch the latest batch of episodes of your fave show. You figured, hey, you would save them all up for an epic binge-watching session. You grab your comfiest leggings, throw on an old tank top, put your hair up into a topknot, and oh yeah, you have your snacks. You are all set and you are ready. Then you start watching and you realize that, oh no, your supposed fave show has been totally ruined. The latest episodes just are not up to par and you do not like the way the characters are behaving and you are just really upset about the turn that this show has suddenly taken. Well, your fave reality shows will never, ever let you down in that way, because they are literally foolproof. Can you think of a bad Real Housewives episode? Nope, you definitely can't because that's just not possible.

7 It's Aspirational

You can't watch reality shows and not realize how totally and completely wealthy some of these people are. Seriously, it gets kind of crazy sometimes, and all you can do is smile and shake your head when you see the kind of dough that these people shell out for anything from clothing to take-out to trips. But that's why reality TV is good for the soul: because it's aspirational. It allows you to take a step back from your normal life, escape for 45 minutes and think about what it would be like to live the high life like these people. You can pretend you're living in a fancy Manhattan penthouse or a Beverly Hills mansion. You can shrug and say, yeah, you can totally afford a fabulous getaway to Turks and Caicos and you would definitely be able to stay in a crazy huge hotel room there. Nope, there are no differences between you and these women. None whatsoever.

6 It's City-Focused

Think about any reality TV show and you realize pretty quickly that they're centered around whatever city they're set in. There are a bunch of NYC set shows like Gallery Girls that were all about trying to make it in the fashion industry… but were really showcases for how much you wish you could live in fabulous New York. Any Real Housewives show is about that city, of course, and there are different storylines and people depending on what city. You've got straight-talking New Yorkers like Bethenny or more carefree and fitness-obsessed California girls like Tamra. Then there are lesser known but still worth watching shows like the short-lived Courtney Loves Dallas about fashion blogger Courtney Kerr… that, as the title totally suggests, was about the fact that she lives in the city of Dallas, Texas. Then, of course, you've got The Hills about L.A. and The City about NYC. Yup, that just makes it more fun, because you can see what it would be like to live in that place and you can daydream about moving.

5 It's Social

Sometimes it's just plain fun to watch something that everyone is talking about, and that definitely applies to a lot of reality series. You watch the latest season of Big Brother or The Bachelor (or The Bachelorette, or Bachelor in Paradise… you get the picture) because your coworkers and best friends keep talking about it. You don't want to miss out on the fun and you definitely don't want even an ounce of FOMO. The viewing experience is even more fun and interesting because you know that you have lots of people to send texts like "OMG DID YOU BELIEVE THAT?!" Sometimes watching these things alone just isn't as enjoyable, so it's always great when you know that you've got a whole crew who are just as obsessed as you are. Watching becomes this social thing, even if you're not actually watching together. But talking about it later/or sharing your thoughts via social media definitely counts.

4 It's Juicy

Just picture a single episode of any reality show and you can't possibly not agree that the storylines are pretty juicy. There was Whitney and Olivia jockeying for position at the fashion company they worked at on The City. There are any housewives duking it out for the most fabulous… or the one who can win any argument. There are crazy cliffhangers before any commercial break, and yeah, you totally fall for those every single time. Reality TV is designed to be as juicy as possible and you love it for that very reason, so you don't even care that you kind of get manipulated. You live for this kind of drama, real or not, and sometimes you hope it's not that real because the fights seem like way too much. But you keep watching anyway because there's really nothing that could ever make you give up this (totally okay) addiction.

3 It's Trendy

Sometimes you just want to be a part of the pop culture universe and that includes watching what is getting the most ratings right now or what critics and fans alike are chatting about. So that is why you tune into The Bachelorette or the latest season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. You just want to know what is going on and what the Twitterverse is going nuts about every Sunday or Monday night. There's nothing wrong with wanting to watch things that are culturally and socially relevant. So the next time your boyfriend shakes his head when you tune into the latest ep of either of these shows, tell him that you're just trying to stay current and laugh it off. He doesn't need to judge you (and hey, you ignore his video game and sports obsessions, so it's all good). You don't need to feel any shame whatsoever.

2 It's About Celebs

The best reality series would definitely be the ones that focus on your fave (or even not so fave) celebs. Take Lindsay, for example. This Oprah-produced series focused on Lindsay Lohan's supposed comeback and move to New York City. It felt like a raw, real documentary kind of series, and you got to see her moving into a fabulous apartment, trying to get into a routine, learning how to eat healthy and do yoga, and oh yeah, try to resurrect her acting career from the dead. Sure, things didn't go as planned and she was always late for both shooting this series and for magazine photo shoots. And her comeback never really materialized, since, you know, where exactly is she right now?! But you loved watching the show because you love her and will always root for her. Same goes for any other celebrity-focused show. You just enjoy watching this stuff.

1 It's Comforting

Here's the truth about why you adore reality television so much: it's totally comforting. You can watch it when you're so exhausted you can barely keep your eyes open thanks to your job and juggling life and all that good stuff. You can tune in when you're checking out your social media feeds or when you have a short window of time to relax before heading to a party or when you're home sick and so bored you can hardly stand it. Yup, it's comfort to the max, and you wouldn't have it any other way. There's really nothing else you would rather do when you're tired or sick than curl up on the couch (or in your bed, no shame there either) with the latest episodes of The Real Housewives, no matter what city it is. So you love that these shows are always there for you, ready to entertain you and make you feel happier whenever you need them.