Published on
updated on
Reading 2 min.
in collaboration with
Johanna Rozenblum (clinical psychologist)
The adventure is back! Since Tuesday, August 20, the new season of Koh Lanta presents a new series of challenges to 26 opponents ready to face the elements. But why do we love to see others push their limits and suffer to win? We asked our psychologist.
There are 26 of them at the start and only one will remain. 23 years after the first edition, Koh Lanta launched its last season, the cursed tribe, on TF1 yesterday evening. A meeting that many viewers would not miss for anything in the world. Seeing Mr. and Mrs. Everyman mutate into survivors is always a hit: last night again, nearly 3.5 million regulars followed the candidates’ first steps on an island in the Philippines known for being difficult.
Yet, over the seasons, the struggle always seems the same: the different participants will learn to ration themselves so as not to exhaust their strength too quickly, sleep in the rain, make deals or on the contrary betray, but above all confront each other in events that harm their body and mind. A torture? Yes, for them. For us, on our sofa, it is a delight that does not require too much effort. We suffer for them, we observe their weight loss, or their tears in the face of the trials, with a certain satisfaction. But why? Are we ready to feed on the suffering of others?
Feeling good in your body, feeling good in your head!
A projection process that takes place in front of the screen
Rest assured, there is nothing unhealthy about watching Koh Lanta! Johanna Rozenblum, clinical psychologist, sees a completely different pleasure in it.
“It’s not so much watching people suffer or exhaust themselves that we like watching Koh Lanta, it’s mostly a little projection process that’s at play. We like watching how the candidates cope in these situations of exhaustion, difficulty or withdrawal, because they are people like us. Even if we know full well that we will never go to this island ourselves, there is something delicious about seeing a mother (like us) surpass herself, or a man leading a personal fight to prove something to himself.”
Finally, with a kind of admiration, even an inspiration that does good in the midst of sterile programs.
“There is always something fascinating to discover as others deal with the confrontation with limits,” concludes our expert. And you, would you be ready to survive it?