Television is Addictive

From Television Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor by Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi:

What is more surprising is that the sense of relaxation ends when the set is turned off, but the feelings of passivity and lowered alertness continue. Survey participants commonly reflect that television has somehow absorbed or sucked out their energy, leaving them depleted. They say they have more difficulty concentrating after viewing than before. In contrast, they rarely indicate such difficulty after reading. After playing sports or engaging in hobbies, people report improvements in mood. After watching TV, people's moods are about the same or worse than before.

My wife and I have observed this in our two year old daughter, who lately begins each day begging to watch television. We're about to nip this in the bud.

Comments

[Collinpark.blogspot.com]

Their 1990 book, _Television and the Quality of Life: How Viewing Shapes Everyday Experience_ is full of interesting and disturbing information.

Apparently it's harder to concentrate after watching TV (it does something to your brain) -- this is in contrast to recreational reading [unless you try to read Stephenson's ANATHEM in a single sitting or something like this]. More at http://cpark.users.sonic.net/gf.papers/media.html