The Science Of Why We Idolize Betty White

When Betty White hosted SNL as a woman in her late 80s, all thanks to a Facebook campaign, we knew she had starpower. We knew she was a role model. But just how big a role model? Bigger than former presidents and some of the most famous CEOs.

In a survey of random Americans over 45, Betty White was by far the most popular senior role model, Reuters reports.. And not just for a certain subset — when you split up men and women, retired vs. non-retired, and so on, White was still the most popular in every group.

We totally get White’s likability — and we think it’s partially due to the fact that there’s nothing really not to like. Her contenders in the survey, while impressive in their own ways, all have a flaw that’s bound to turn off a certain group of American retirees.

There’s: Jimmy Carter — a Democrat. Martha Stewart — a convicted felon. Helen Mirren — not American. Steven Tyler — too druggy. Jack Welch — too big business-y. And George Foreman — well, the guy made a grill primarily used in dorm rooms.

Betty White just can’t lose.

TAGS: betty white | betty white popular | betty white retirees

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