This just in from The Department of Horrifying Scientific Studies: Researchers at the University of Maryland have some cockamamie theory that TV watching causes long-term Read the full post.
Nov 18
2008
10:02 PM ET
TV makes people less happy: Debunk this myth!
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“No tv and no beer make Homer something something
Go crazy?
Don’t mind if I do…”
TV is the happy place. The sad people probably just watch Fox News.
wow chop, nice pointless dig at people who don’t agree with you politically. and way to group those people together in a supposed negative light. as someone, who i’m guessing, agrees with your political perspective , I think you should avoid stuff like that. It makes you look worse.
but this isn’t about politics.
I do agree with you on on thing specifically. TV is good.
I agree with the theory of “sad people watch more TV, but TV does not necessarily make people unhappy.”
What’s sad is the level of denial among Americans who are proud of their illiteracy and spend hours and hours staring at ads and unfunny sitcoms.
Step outside for a change. Remember what happened to Mike TV…
The study doesn’t say that the television somehow causes unhappiness, it states that people who are already suffering from social inactivity and lethargy are more likely to spend ALL their free time watching TV, because TV doesn’t require anything from them.
If you watch TV a few hours a night, that’s one thing. But the “not happy” people in this study were people who didn’t do much outside of work and sleep EXCEPT watch TV. It doesn’t cause laziness, but it does help keep it going.
Is there anything in the study about what people were watching? Me, I almost exclusively watch comedies and “good” reality shows, like “The Office,” “Futurama”, “The Amazing Race”, etc. I also think my happiness has been further increased by the advent of the DVR, which means I can watch TV on my own schedule AND skip commercials!!!
This is just dumb. It’s not that TV causes unhappiness, it’s that unhappy people watch more TV. When I’m “unhappy” or feeling “depressed” I watch more TV because I don’t have the energy to do anything else. Did the University of Maryland ever consider that?
I think the study was limited to “The Hills” and “Private Practice”. You’d be unhappy too
They obviously have not picked up Season 3 of HIMYM. It’s WAY more satisfying than, say, cleaning my apartment or saving for retirement.
It’s when my shows AREN’T on that I’m incredibly unhappy. Some of my happiest times come from season premieres and sweeps. Seriously, researchers. Read Jon’s comment.
You’d be unhappy too if you watched hours and hours and hours of Nancy Grace, Greta Van Susteren, Hannity and Colmes and Bill O’Reilly!
There could be a third variable. Just because people who reported being “sad” watch 30% more television does not mean it’s a cause/effect phenomenon. OR it could be cause/effect the opposite way: tv doesn’t make you sad but rather sad people watch tv (to get some escape–duh!)
TV watching can extend and enhance your social life and your connection with other people. One of the best part of being addicted to shows is the social aspect afterwards. Friday morning is a laugh fest in my office as we recount our favorite moments of the previous night. I think what you watch makes a difference too. Laughing out loud at 30 Rock, getting the warm fuzzies with Ned and Chuck or an endorphin rush from a fabulous Lost twist has to affect people in a positive way. I don’t feel the same when I watch L & O, CSI, or some other cookie cutter show. Someone else might though. What gives you an emotional high is very personal. I can’t believe that anything that makes you think, react emotionally, and engages you in an active, even passionate way, can make you depressed. If the study did not take into account factors in participants lives such as daily interaction with others (job, family etc.)and the content of programming it has to be flawed.
Isn’t this correlation and not causation? So it’s entirely possible that “not happy” people watch more tv BECAUSE they don’t have other activities to engage in and it’s an escape from their unhappy lives – happy people might be happy because they have other stuff going on and don’t want/have time for tv.
I got really excited last night when I saw the promos for Big Love on HBO and did a fist pump when they said it was staring in January. That makes me both happy and a total dork (for getting that excited).
I’m coming into the discussion late, but I agree with the correlation not causation theory. Depressed people might watch more TV for various reasons, but watching more TV doesn’t make you depressed. I watch a lot of TV, but I actually consider it a hobby. I read about it in EW, DVR the shows that I like. Although I will admit that it is kinda depressing when I’m watching a marathon of Dirty Jobs or Rock of Love for no particular reason, when I should be doing chores or walking my dog.