University of Chester psychologists analyse behaviour on The Traitors

Experts from the University of Chester, including Dr Clea Wright, Professor Lisa Oakley, and Dr Kevin Hochard, have shared their insights into the contestants’ behaviour patterns.

They hosted a podcast last year called Psychology of….. The Traitors and they plan to launch a second series on Spotify to run alongside the latest BBC One series.

The trio recently shared their thoughts in a recently published article in The Guardian, titled ‘I’m 100% faithful! What The Traitors tells us about human nature.’

Professor Oakley noted that players tend to favour contestants like themselves and gravitate towards these groups of people.

She used Harry’s speech from the second series as an example of how language was used to promote in-group membership.

Dr Wright suggested that contestants often fail to realise that trustworthiness and being a traitor are not linked, as the traitors are selected by chance.

Dr Hochard discussed how Jaz in last year’s series worked out that Harry, who went on to win the show, was a traitor but was unable to build the connections with other players in time to convince them of this theory.

The academics said that the game is ‘incredibly challenging’ for the faithful who have little evidence to base their decisions upon.

Dr Hochard said: “Like much of the nation, we’re gripped by The Traitors each series and we’re really looking forward to seeing how this series unfolds.

“As psychologists, it is a fascinating watch and insight into human behaviour.”

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