Happiness is a Warm…Plasma TV?
Posted: Monday, February 22, 2010
by Dr. Ron Blankstein
Chesapeake Nutraceuticals
Americans love their TVs – and they show it by tuning in for more tha
n four hours a day.(1) With digital cable and satellite reception, hundreds of stations feed directly into the electronic box in your living room or family room. Add the TIVO or DVR feature and you can sit and watch programs on any subject, anytime, anywhere.
Modern Marvel or Morbid Messenger?
Television viewing can be either, depending on how you make use of it. On the one hand, TV can be educational or refreshingly entertaining. It can let you travel the world, expose you to delightful ideas and inspire you to learn and try new things.
On the other hand, it can become a passive, mind-numbing activity that wastes your productive time and turns you into an inactive spectator, also known as the common "couch potato". Prolonged TV viewing is strongly associated with increased rates of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes due to higher energy intake. This is refl ected in the consumption of more calories consumed later in the day – from supper to bedtime snacks.(2)
An Early Influence
It's obvious from the more than 4000 studies done on the effect of TV viewing on children, that the
programming starts early in life. An entire TV market is geared to the toddler crowd and it branches out into targeted shows for every age group after that. Keeping in mind that 99% of American households have at least one TV – 66% have 3 or more – we must think in terms of balance.(3)
I know that you are well aware of the outcome of excessive TV viewing on children: the lack of physical activity from playing outside; the time NOT spent in organized sports, music and art; the lack of time for reading and family dinners. But are you aware that these same effects can be seen in adults in later life?
The Adult Scenario
Yes, we may bemoan the effect of TV and video games on our young ones, but recent studies show alarming trends in older adults as well. The relationship between TV viewing and overall health indicate that greater amounts of TV time definitely correlate with overweight, high cholesterol and blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.(4)
In contrast, a study of women who watched less than 10 hours of TV per week and took a brisk 30 minute walk each day showed a 30% reduction in obesity and a 43% less incidence of diabetes.(5) It is significant, too, that these same women limited their exposure to all the junk food ads that regularly air on national TV!
The Happiness Factor
One of the most surprising studies I read on TV viewing was done by sociologists at the University of Michigan and was published in the December 2008 issue of Social Indicators Research. It concluded that unhappy people watch considerably more television – at least 20% more - than happy people do.(6,7) Why?
It turns out that truly happy people derive more pleasure from active pursuits like reading and socializing. "TV doesn't really seem to satisfy people over the long haul the way that social involvement or reading a newspaper does," says University of Maryland sociologist John P. Robinson, the study co-author and a pioneer in time-use studies. "it's more passive and may provide escape – especially when the news is as depressing as the economy itself. The data suggests to us that the TV habit may offer short-run pleasure at the expense of long-term malaise."(8)
Dealing With Hard Times
We are currently in the grip of an economic downturn that has resulted in extended unemployment and more idle time for many Americans. Vegging in front of the TV can be a way to fill the time previously spent working. But while that may seem to be a natural turn of events, I wanted to share this research with you to let you know that it is probably not the most productive solution.
Stay active, my friend. Visit with family and friends, read the newspaper and other publications that interest you. Limit TV viewing to your absolute favorite shows that provide you with genuine recreation. And always remember - before you make any changes to your exercise, supplement or dietary program, please consult your family doctor for personal guidance.
Sources:
- Eberhart-Phillips, Jason, "Is Your Television Killing You Slowly?" Chronic Disease Control, Alaska Division of Public Health, Nov 10, 2003
- Bowman, SA, "Television-viewing characteristics of adults: correlations to eating practices and overweight and health status", Preventive Chronic Disease, Vol 3: No 2, Apr 2006
- Herr, Norman, "Television & Health, The Sourcebook for Teaching Science", csun.edu/science/health
- Williams, DM, Raynor, HA, Ciccolo, JT, "A Review of TV Viewing and Its Association With Health Outcomes in Adults", American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, Vol 2, No 3, 250-259 (2008)
- Bowman, SA, "Television-viewing characteristics of adults: correlations to eating practices and overweight and health status", Preventive Chronic
Disease, Vol 3: No 2, Apr 2006 - Tickner, Neil, "Unhappy People Watch TV, Happy People Read/Socialize", University of Maryland, 2005
- Tickner, Neil, "Unhappy People Watch TV, Happy People Read/Socialize", University of Maryland, 2005
- Tickner, Neil, "Unhappy People Watch TV, Happy People Read/Socialize", University of Maryland, 2005
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Since retiring I have to work very hard at not being sedintary, however I do prefer reading to TV thank goodness and I do have some hobbies that keep me busy and a pool in the summertime so that helps too. Good article. Thanks for sharing.
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