How the Fandom Changed My Life
How the Fandom Changed My Life Survey (Initial results)
The following represents an analysis of the 1600 Bronies (Mean age= 21 years old; 82% were males; 68% from N. America, 23% from Europe; 34% in High School and 26% in college) who initially completed the survey, and were asked to rate the presence of various emotions and behaviors before and after they joined the fandom.
Emotions and Feelings: Numbers are the percentage of the sample who reported either an improvement or a worsening after becoming a member of the fandom.
SCALE Improvement Worse
Happiness Scale 58% 12%
Depression Scale 56% 12%
QLS Emotions Subscale* 55% 8%
Anxiety Scale 50% 11%
______________________________________________
* The Quality of Life Scale has three subscales
Notes:
Clearly fans as a group report improved emotional states after joining the fandom, with half or more reporting overall improvement. These improvements might be affected by an increased level of self-acceptance and social support many fans report experiencing. Our previous research has revealed that establishing friendships and finding guidance and meaning were rated as the most important aspects of the fan community (fandom) both of which are likely to yield overall positive feelings.
Clearly some fans do not experience improvement, but instead report a worsening of symptoms. This could be a product of life events outside of the individuals ‘fan experience’ or that the experience of the fandom leads to greater feelings of isolation (“I don’t even fit in here!”) and/or more negative responses (e.g., bullying) by others in their social environment.
It is important to note that both the improvement and worsening of these emotional states are impacted by external factors (e.g., stressful life events, the social environments response to the fandom) and internal factors (e.g., personality traits like neuroticism, a history of previous psychological problems, need to bully and/or shock others) both of which have nothing to do with the fandom as a group, but would modify and/or enhance both positive and negative aspects of the fan’s response to the fandom.
Behaviors and Actions: Numbers are the percentage of the sample who reported either an improvement or worsening after becoming a member of the fandom.
SCALE Improvement Worse
Pro-social Behavior Scale 65% 11%
Social Avoidance Scale 56% 6%
QLS Get Along with Others Subscale* 30% 8%
QLS Work and School Subscale* 24% 12%
____________________________________________ __
Notes:
As a group the fans reported improvement in their behaviors towards other people (e.g., more volunteering and offering help, less avoidance of social situations, and increased ability to ‘get along’ with others).
Almost 2/3 of the fans reported an increase in their pro-social behaviors (offering help, assistance and encouragement in various forms to others). These behaviors would have a tendency to conform with and reinforce the perception of the Brony fandom as a positive supportive social group.
The fans also completed a Discrimination Scale that measured the level of unfair behaviors (from negative taunts to physical bullying) experienced by them both before and after joining the fandom. The results revealed that 44% reported an improvement (decrease) in such experiences, while 15% reported an increase (worsen) of these behaviors by others. It can be hypothesized that the fans are making positive use of the increased social support offered by the fandom and may be changing their responses to such discriminating behaviors which might lead to a lessening of the behavior for most fan (clearly for some being a fan may have made them even more of a target).
Some Summary Thoughts:
1. The fact that emotions and feelings displayed a greater improvement than actions and behaviors fit with our experience as therapists, for it is easier to change one's feelings and reactions than it is to quickly change one's behavior. Also note that both social avoidance and pro-social behaviors have a strong emotional component as well as a behavioral one, you have to want to face your fears and decide that acting differently towards others is important before you will confront social situations and reach out to help others.
These results point to the level of support and positive change associated with the fandom as features of this fandom that may draw members into it. If they take the initial risk to overcome the negative stereotypes that color people’s initial reactions to the ‘Brony Phenomenon.’ In addition, people who are by their nature upbeat and positive (think of Pinkie Pie) or in need of a safe place to express and explore (think of Fluttershy) would naturally be drawn to a fandom with these features.
2. We would be remiss if we did not mention one of the weakness of our study design. All of our Bronies were recruited by advertising on popular Brony websites (Equestria Daily, Facebook Brony pages, etc.) as such we likely have a dedicated and motivated sample. It is possible that more distressed and troubled Bronies do not visit these sites or chose to not take part in our survey. We can address this issue somewhat by separating our sample into subjects who report having received psychological attention (therapy, diagnosis, medication) inthe past and those subject who did not.
Preexisting Conditions Analysis
All of the subjects were asked to indicate if they had ever visited a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker and if they had been given a diagnosis. This information was used to divide the sample into two groups: a Diagnosis Group (DG) and a No Diagnosis Group (NDG).
Percentage of Sample with and without a Diagnosis (out of 1597 subjects)
No diagnosis – 1071 (66.8% of responses)
Diagnosis – 526 (33.2% of responses)
Frequency of top four Diagnoses within the Diagnosis Group
Depression – 28.3%
ADHD/ADD – 23.3%
Anxiety – 22%
Asperger’s – 14.6%
Comparison of the Groups on Emotions and Behaviors Scales
Results:
1. The Diagnosis Group reported significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety and social avoidance, and lower levels of happiness, and abilities to get along with others BEFORE becoming fans (in comparison to the No Diagnosis Group).
2. Both groups displayed a cross the board improvement in all of the variables after becoming a fan. In addition, on the variables of depression, anxiety and work and school performance the Diagnosis Group displayed a significantly bigger improvement. This was most likely a product of the fact that they had higher scores to start with (more depression and anxiety) and therefore had more room for improvement. It is interesting to note that the Diagnosis Group’s scores AFTER becoming a fan matched or were slightly better than the No Diagnosis Group BEFORE becoming a fan.
3. Some people might find that having 1/3 of the Bronies reporting pre-existing conditions seem like a high percentage. However, several points would seem to argue against this position. First, research has consistently found that 1:3 to 1:4 people are often struggling with issues of depression and anxiety (depression is often called the ‘common cold’ of mental conditions). Secondly, given the average age of the Brony fandom, adolescent and young adults, these are groups that are often struggling with issue of identity and intimacy (social relationships) a ratio of 1:3 is not surprising. In addition, Bronies were recruited to share their experiences of how the fandom had changed their lives. As we already see in the results, those who carry a diagnosis are more likely to experience significant change and would be more likely to take part in the study to share the news of this improvement. Perhaps Bronies who had little change to report (more likely to be in the No Diagnosis group) chose to not participate.
4. These results further reinforce the perception of the positive and supportive environment that the fandom represents for many individuals who are in need of such environments. However, it leaves unanswered the question of why for some fan their struggles (with negative emotions and social interactions) may worsen after joining the fandom.
5. It is important in closing to mention a second weakness of our study design. All of our subjects were asked to retrospectively remember (and report) their level of emotions and behaviors BEFORE they had become a fan. It is an established fact, within the field of Psychology (supported by memory and cognition research) that current emotional states (positive or negative) influence/color our memories of earlier experiences. This raises a serious ‘validity’ question concerning the ‘true level’ of their pre-fandom emotions and behaviors. This is a difficult problem to overcome as it is impractical (almost impossible) to measure individuals BEFORE they become fans. We can neither predict future membership that well or secure enough non-fan subjects to conduct such an analysis. While this represents a research validity problem, it also represents a favorable/positive outcome if you take a therapeutic perspective. As therapists (Dr. Edwards and Redden both concur) that the goal of therapy is that a person develop and report improvements in their mood (affect and emotions) and their behaviors. We would never try to argue with a person that they are ‘not really happy.’ Feeling better, having a new positive outlook on life and acting accordingly are all goals of therapy and represent positive growth. What represents a ‘headache’ for a researcher, represents a favorable outcome to a therapist (and to a parent who is concerned about the mental health of their son or daughter).
How the Fandom Changed My Life Preliminary Bullying Data
The Bronystudy researchers would like to thank the 1400+ Bronies who have SO FAR completed our ‘How the Fandom Changed My Life’ survey.
Given the ongoing discussion within the fandom about the impact (sometime tragic) of bullying upon members of the Brony community we would like to share a bit of the preliminary survey data. It is our hope that this might further the community’s discussion about this matter. We feel it may be helpful for the community to know both how frequent bullying occurs and to what degree members of the fandom feel it was CAUSED by their becoming a fan of MLP:FiM. We have also included several possible explanations for (conclusions about) these preliminary results. Please Note: Percentages WILL NOT always add up to 100%.
A series of questions were asked about the incidence of Unfair, Discriminatory or Bullying behavior being directed at the Brony fan both BEFORE and AFTER becoming a Brony.
Percentage of individuals who reported Sometimes OR Often experiencing the behavior
BEFORE becoming AFTER becoming Amount
A Brony A Brony of Change
Being called names 24% 16% -33%
Having belongs damaged 6% 3% -50%
Being threatened 13% 6% -54%
Being physically attacked 4% 2% -50%
Initial Conclusions:
1. That while the incidence of these unwanted and unfair behaviors continue for a subgroup of the Brony fandom, in general their incidence seems to DECREASE after becoming a Brony.
2. It would appear that verbal taunts and threats constitutes the primary form of ‘bullying’ directed at the fandom. However, actual physical attacks are part of what some members of the fandom are forced to endure.
Question: Since becoming a Brony has the occurrence of the unfair behaviors increased or decreased?
% who endorsed
Never occurred 35%
Decreased 21%
Stayed the same 35%
Increased 9%
Initial Conclusions:
1. That for over half of the fandom (56%), the incidence of these behaviors has either NEVER occurred or have DECREASED
2. It can be hypothesized that the DECREASE in such behaviors might be attributed to two factors:
a. confidence gained by becoming a fan has lead the fan to react differently towards the bullying (such as standing up or being somehow less of a target),
b. That the expanded friendship and social support offered by the fandom protects the
fan from incidences of bullying,
3. It can be hypothesized that the INCREASE in such behaviors might be attributed to two
factors:
a. That disclosure of their interest in the fandom has made them MORE of a target for Bullies (especially in schools or regions of a country where gender stereotypes are especially strong).
b. That becoming a Brony might lead to a greater sense of ISOLATION, some fans may actually lose friends which would rob them of social support and the potential safety offered by social support networks. (This may be why many Secret Bronies are and choose to stay hidden.)
Question: To what degree has becoming a Brony lead to an increase in these unfair behaviors?
Percentages for individual
who HAD experienced these
unfair behaviors
No Effect 70%
Slight Efect 22%
Moderate Effect 6%
Significant Effect 2%
Initial Conclusions:
1. That for those fans who have experienced bullying, close to one third of them feel that their choice to ‘Become a Brony’ is partly responsible for the increase in Bullying. (Note: Our final analysis of the data will attempt to identify characteristics of these Bullied Bronies, such as family support, personality features or size of the city/town in which they live.
2. These results should act as a reminder to all fans (especially those who experience social support from family and friends) that there are good reasons why some members of the fandom remain secret about their membership and that some fans take on considerable risk when they disclose their interest in MLP:FiM’.
On a lighter note, here are the current top choices for ‘Favorite Pony’:
Twilight Sparkle 25%
Fluttershy 19%
Rainbow Dash 17%
Pinkie Pie 15%
Apple Jack 11%
Rarity 10%
Again, thank you to all the Bronies who have taken the survey. If you have not yet done so please consider taking the survey, leave yourself 45 minutes to an hour to fully complete the survey.
Also a special thanks to those Bronies who have emailed us their personal detailed ‘How the fandom changed my life’ stories.