- A study reveals how individuals with a strong attachment to celebrities tended to score lower in cognitive tests.
- This study proves how Allah’s guidance is the best for mankind.
A survey of 2,000 British adults revealed that 44 percent confess to concerning themselves with matters that have no impact on their lives.
Half of the respondents admitted knowing more about celebrities’ lives than those of their friends, while 80 percent claimed they were less knowledgeable about their own parents. Additionally, 38 percent expressed concern over Kylie Jenner not disclosing her son’s name even eight months after his birth.
In a world where celebrity culture often takes precedence over intellectual pursuits, a separate Hungarian study on celebrity culture delivered a poignant revelation. The findings indicated that an excessive preoccupation with celebrities has the potential to impair cognitive function.
1,763 adults underwent testing related to the topic of celebrities and their association with them. Cognitive tests given to participants included a 30-word vocabulary test and a digit symbol substitution test. The study concluded that individuals with strong celebrity attachment exhibited lower scores on cognitive tests.
The Prophet Mohammed (saw) said:
“IT IS PART OF THE EXCELLENCE OF ONE’S ISLAM TO LEAVE ALONE THAT WHICH DOES NOT CONCERN HIM.” (TIRMIDHI)
However, there is something perhaps more sinister to consider than this:
The study specifically mentions the obsession of celebrities. Islam’s core principle of monotheism denotes that we cannot associate any partners with Allah (May Allah protect us and guide us).
Shaytan subtly tempts Muslims into committing shirk, often through idolizing their favorite celebrities and treating them like icons, believing them to be infallible. While it’s natural to admire individuals who demonstrate courage and love them for the sake of Allah, we must remain aware that they are human, and Allah is the King of all Kings!
When we consider histories legends, we see how they never wasted their time dissecting the real life drama surrounding them. Take Abbas Ibn Firnas, the inventor from the Islamic Golden Age. I’m pretty sure if he were here today, he wouldn’t be losing sleep over the latest celebrity gossip. His focus was on how he could benefit society and what legacy he would leave behind.
Nowadays, there exists a pervasive longing for fame, fuelled by an increased craving for validation, facilitated by the accessibility of celebrity status- now all one needs is a tripod and a smartphone to broadcast themselves to the world.
The researchers of the study in question asserted, “Future studies should seek further support for our suggestion that the cognitive effort invested in maintaining the absorption in a favourite celebrity may interfere with the person’s performance in tasks that require attention and other cognitive skills. “Although our research does not prove that developing a powerful obsession with one’s favourite celebrity causes one to score lower on cognitive tests, it suggests that it might be wise to carefully monitor feelings for [them].”
This underscores that Allah’s instructional manual- the Qur’an- is inherently beneficial for humanity. Monotheism emerges as the optimal path, emphasising the imperative of abstaining from associating partners with Allah and attending diligently to our own affairs.
The study can be found here.
