The psychology of Big Brother: How to survive in the house

The hit reality TV show is back – experts break down the best ways housemates can navigate the experience.

There’s a psychology behind Big Brother (Big Brother/Initial/ITV) (PA Media)

Big Brother has returned to British TV for the first time in five years.

Hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best, the ITV reality show has kicked off with 16 housemates living together in a custom-built home without access to the outside world – all in a bid to win £100,000.

Since Big Brother first aired on Channel 4 in 2000, it’s become known as the ultimate social experiment.

Here are a few tips from psychologists on how the new contestants can survive being cooped up in a house with a group of strangers, under the continuous monitoring of Big Brother…

The psychology of Big Brother

For Dr Rachael Molitor, a psychologist and lecturer at Coventry University, the psychology behind Big Brother involves “the intricate interplay of 24/7 surveillance on human behaviour, participant isolation from the outside world, and psychological challenges around newly formed and integral social friendships and group dynamics”.

Although it may be deemed similar to other TV programmes, such as Love Island or The Traitors, where contestants also live together in a new home, Big Brother is different.

“It has a unique stance, in that the contestants are not a cookie cutter of a particular type of person needed for the show’s storyline,” Molitor said.

“With Love Island and My Mum Your Dad, the contestants needed to be single and of a certain age or criteria. With Big Brother, we can see a number of varying contestants, all with different backgrounds and personalities.”

However, Molitor notes that Big Brother is “less of a psychological observational experiment” and “more of a TV entertainment viewing opportunity – and edited as such”.

She said: “The environment provides a rich opportunity for the study of human behaviour, social dynamics, and the psychological effects of living in a controlled, highly competitive and monitored setting.”

How can contestants survive in the Big Brother house?

For Molitor, the key to survival is for contestants to be themselves.

“Due to the length of time contestants will be on the show, it’s important to build strong genuine relationships. Effective communication supports the positive experience of all housemates,” Molitor added.

Dr Sarita Robinson, associate dean of psychology and humanities at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) agrees, and said: “Like with any group of people in an enclosed space, inter-group conflict is likely to occur.

“Rather than reacting immediately to something that has annoyed you, it is best to walk away and wait for 15 minutes. It’s amazing how a little bit of time can take the heat out of a situation for the contestants.”

How can they protect their mental health? 

Taking care of your mental health isn’t always the easiest thing to do on a reality TV show, Robinson suggested.

“Due to social evaluative stress that relates to what people think of us, this can have a marked impact on our physiological stress levels if we think people are making negative judgements about us.”

But things have changed since the show first aired.

“With the new care of duty plan, contestants can ask for help when needed and get mental health and wellbeing support prior to, during and after the show has ended,” Molitor said.

Whilst in the house, there are a few “small health-enhancing behaviours” contestants can do.

These include “getting enough sleep, exercise and healthy eating to support their health and wellbeing throughout”, Molitor advised.

Robinson also warned against behaviours that might impact your state of mind.

“If people start to stress their brains by drinking alcohol, having poor quality sleep, restricting their food intake or changing their normal use of things like nicotine, caffeine or medication like antidepressants, it can have an impact on the brain,” Robinson said.

“For example, if you don’t get a good night’s sleep your brain will struggle to work as well as it usually does, which can cause problems with emotion regulation. The knock-on effect of this might make you more likely to be grumpy and have a row with someone.”

Big Brother airs nightly on ITV2 and ITVX, excluding Saturdays.