They say that TV rots your brain, but according to new research, it may just fight off feelings of loneliness and rejection.

The illusory relationships with the people on their favorite TV shows may provide people with a sense of belonging, even after being rejected by friends or family members, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

"The research provides evidence for the 'social surrogacy hypothesis,' which holds that humans can use technologies, like television, to provide the experience of belonging when no real belongingness has been experienced," says one of the study's authors, Dr Shira Gabriel, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Buffalo.

Psychologists study the human mind in a number of ways, digging at the roots of human behavior, either in the clinical setting or through research. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 1 in 3 psychologists is self-employed, much higher than the average of 8% self employment for all professional workers. The job market for psychologists is projected to grow 15% from 2006-2016, faster than the national average for all occupations.