The “Scully Effect” And Other Things You Never Knew About The X-Files

Caroline Gawlik|Television|23 Apr 2018

Scully Is An Inspiration For Women In STEM

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Photo credit: FOX / Getty Images

Studies have shown that girls who grew up watching The X-Files were more than 50% likely to go into a STEM field: science, technology, engineering, math. Even better, 63% of women interviewed for the study said that Scully increased their confidence.

This phenomenon has been officially labeled “The Scully Effect,” and it’s a real thing and it’s amazing. Scully is famous for being one of the first “multidimensional female characters in a STEM field” that was on a popular TV show. The show’s creator and Anderson both knew this and always maintained Scully’s strong, independent character.