i love TV. well, sort of. i am a huge fan of certain things on television, and i loathe a lot of the rest. but even then, there is enough quality television from the last 10 years to keep me well provided with good shows (in fact, with the advent of tv on dvd and netflix streaming, there’s almost too much — a topic i’ve been kicking around for an article over here for a while now).
however, i also have a very controlled relationship with tv. if i watch more than a couple hours of it, especially at once, i feel restless and jumpy. i imagined this was because i think of myself as smart and cultured, and so i had an internal conscience that said, ‘okay, that was fun, now go read a book or something’. turns out via this article in psychology today, ‘the case(s) against television’, my pretentiousness might not be to blame, but in fact some subconscious brain workings:
“Researchers have found a direct correlation between the amount of time someone spends in front of the television and that person’s irritability. In the short-term, TV shows provide an escape from everyday trials, but over the long-term such escapism prevents the mind from engaging in much-needed reflection.
“The fascination that seems to be important in the recovery of attention is nothing like what happens on television,” Kaplan says.”
though we all list television as something we do to relax, it turns out it’s not quite the mental relaxation we really need. and yet it feels so good… tricky television.
“Frey’s research found a strong correlation between watching TV and lower levels of happiness (and, interestingly, a link between reading newspapers and higher life satisfaction). Frey ponders the potential causality:
One possible and reasonable answer is that the heavy TV watchers are subject to a self-control problem: they would like to spend less time in front of the TV but are unable to do so in a consistent and enduring way.”
and so, my gratitude that some part of me, whether my self-image or my subconscious, keeps me from a acting like an addict despite an endless supply of stimulation at my finger-tips. i bet there are lots who aren’t so lucky. even worse, i bet lots of them are addicted to shows with bad or non-existent writing (shudder).
[side note: one of the reasons i was drawn to this article is because it also references the writings of david foster wallace (on tv addiction), and my man-crush on him is undeniable.]
Amazing…where is that article from…Amanda may need to read the entire thing
haha… don’t tell her i said it, just click on the link.