Another strike against TV, more happiness research showing that watching TV is not good for your happiness.
Several months ago, I wrote a post about similar research that showed people are happiest when engaged in leisure and spiritual activities. TV was a leisure activity that was shown NOT to increase happiness.
But a recent article in the New York Times goes even further. The activity of watching TV was actually shown to have a negative correlation to happiness levels. The chicken and egg issue was not resolved, whether the TV watching caused the unhappiness, or whether unhappy people are more drawn to TV.
I think it's a vicious cycle of both, myself. Before I became addicted to political shows during this election season, I watched very little TV. I do not think my addiction to political shows increased my happiness, in fact, it made me more constantly agitated.
Now, the election is over. I'm not watching as much political TV, but my new addiction is to the money shows. As you might suspect, this is NOT making me happy--in fact, it is making me very unhappy. As I worry about the state of our economy, it seems the only thing to do is turn on the TV and see what the latest development is, which just makes it worse.
Am I really thinking that one of these times when I turn on CNBC, Erin Burnett is going to suddenly tell me in that all is well on Wall Street today? Or that Larry Kudlow is going to interview someone that actually has all the answers? Or that Maria Bartiromo is finally going to answer her daily question and TELL ME WHERE MY MONEY IS?
As the happiness study's author points out, "Since the major predictor of how much time is spent watching television is whether someone works or not, it's possible that rising unemployment will lead to more TV time."
Whether unemployed or retired, turn off that TV. Watching it is something that happy people just don't do anymore.
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We used to watch very little TV, but during the election we got hooked on the MSNBC evening block and then it was Morning Joe (even tho M&J drive me nuts, I really like Mike Barnicle). Sometimes I would even watch FOX, fer god sakes, sort of the equivalent of drinking sterno.
Maybe a support group is in order.
Posted by: Judy | November 25, 2008 at 05:48 AM
Well I admit to being addicted to TV, though I do a lot of timeshifting with my Tivo (and avoid those pesky commercials!).
I will say that a friend of my mother who worked as a caregiver in nursing homes for some 60 years (well into her '80s--she lived to be 99 and had to be forced to give up her work) said she thought TV was a godsend to the elderly--that it kept her patients in touch with the world and gave them something to talk about. (Maybe it was just that it kept them quiet--who knows.)
Posted by: Grace | August 17, 2009 at 03:45 PM