The Cellar - Unhappy people watch more TV

The Cellar (http://cellar.org/index.php)

- Health (http://cellar.org/forumdisplay.php?f=33)

- - Unhappy people watch more TV (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=18749)

Unhappy people watch more TV

Quote:

An extensive new research study has found that unhappy people watch more TV while those consider themselves happy spend more time reading and socializing.

The University of Maryland analyzed 34 years of data collected from more than 45,000 participants and found that watching TV might make you feel good in the short term but is more likely to lead to overall unhappiness.

"The pattern for daily TV use is particularly dramatic, with 'not happy' people estimating over 30% more TV hours per day than 'very happy' people," the study says. "Television viewing is a pleasurable enough activity with no lasting benefit, and it pushes aside time spent in other activities -- ones that might be less immediately pleasurable, but that would provide long-term benefits in one’s condition. In other words, TV does cause people to be less happy."

The study, published in the December issue of Social Indicators Research, analyzed data from thousands of people who recorded their daily activities in diaries over the course of several decades. Researchers found that activities such as sex, reading and socializing correlated with the highest levels of overall happiness.

Watching TV, on the other hand, was the only activity that had a direct correlation with unhappiness.

"TV is not judgmental nor difficult, so people with few social skills or resources for other activities can engage in it," says the study. "Furthermore, chronic unhappiness can be socially and personally debilitating and can interfere with work and most social and personal activities, but even the unhappiest people can click a remote and be passively entertained by a TV. In other words, the causal order is reversed for people who watch television; unhappiness leads to television viewing."

Unhappily married couples also watch more TV: "(Happily married couples) engage in 30% more sex, and they attend religious services more and read newspapers on more days," reports the study. "While those not happy with their marriages watch more TV."

Concludes the study: "These points have parallels with addiction; since addictive activities produce momentary pleasure but long-term misery and regret. People most vulnerable to addiction tend to be socially or personally disadvantaged, with TV becoming an opiate."

You all know who you are. I'm surprised that they didn't break out the type of show that the participants watched. I would surmise that those watching sitcoms and reality tv would be a different group than those who watch Discovery or the History channel.

Holy Shit!

This means that Dazza must be about ready to slit his wrists!

I better call the doctor.

Back in the day, cavemen who drew on walls were unhappy.

In the grand old radio days, people who listened to Fibber McGee and Molly were unhappy.

Don't even get me started on people who go to the movies.

It just sounds like pop psychology to me. I know a lot of people who watch NO TV. I know people who don't work and do nothing but watch TV. I know people who like to be entertained after work. It's hardly an activity that needs inferences about such subjective issues as "happiness" drawn from it. Despite my dislike of (most) reality shows, I don't think the people who love them are inherently more unhappy than I am. In fact, a lot of folks i know who love them are decidedly more happy in general.

BTW, did anyone see How I Met Your Mother last night? ;)

The article says that tv viewing "is more likely to lead to overall unhappiness. " But it misrepresents what the actual study says. The study doesn't say that TV causes one to be unhappy. It only says that that is one possible conclusion.

Quote:

one can see television as a predictor of general unhappiness. This could lead us to two possible interpretations:
1. Television viewing is a pleasurable enough activity with no lasting benefit, and it pushes aside time spent in other activities—ones that might be less immediately pleasurable, but that would provide long-term benefits in one’s condition. In other words, television does cause people to be less happy.
2. Television is a refuge for people who are already unhappy. TV is not judgmental nor difficult, so people with few social skills or resources for other activities can engage in it. Furthermore, chronic unhappiness can be socially and personally debilitating and can interfere with work and most social and personal activities, but even the unhappiest people can click a remote and be passively entertained by a TV. In other words, the causal order is reversed for people who watch television; unhappiness leads to television viewing. This argument makes it possible to discuss it in Table 2.

The study only says there is a correlation. It doesn't say which came first.

Phew...what a relief. I wont worry about calling the doctor today then. :)

Oh well, as long as we aren't doing internet user studies, I am still safe....
:)

It's interesting that when I first started posting online...probably about 8 or 9 years ago now, I was probably at my lowest point for my life at that stage. I'm not sure if the internet helped or hindered in the process of getting out of that slump...but I definitely have hit lower points since then.

Things are good now though thank goodness. Maybe life really is just a series of ups and downs...and well, sometimes a bit of up and down is good...so is in and out...side to side...

I am the unhappiest person I know.
I watch almost no TV. I'm watching it this week because I am at my parents' house and my parents are away, so I can gorge on satellite rubbish. Even so, I watch it in an hour or half hour bursts, depending on the programme, with periods of switching off and reading in between.

Right now, the satellite follow-up show to I'm A Celebrity is on, and I decided to come up to an unheated bedroom instead.

I know there are always exceptions, but I think it's worth noting that I am one,

I consider myself mainly happy...I watch bagloads of telly.

How happy are you if the TV is on, but you're mostly paying attention to chatting and checking teh cellr? A uh, a friend was wondering...

I don't watch much.

You know why?

We have three TV's in this house. So you'd think that once in a while I might get to actually choose what to watch, wouldn't you? But OH no, no sooner do I flip it on that someone comes flouncing in and takes over the remote and soon I'm either forced to watch iCarly, Flapjack or Antiques Roadshow.

But I've got the computer. Bwaha ahahahahaaaaa! I am in CONTROL of MY computer. Muahahahaha!!!!!

Quick, turn to channel 12!

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 507338)

PBS?

Pinko.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx (Post 505642)

How happy are you if the TV is on, but you're mostly paying attention to chatting and checking teh cellr? A uh, a friend was wondering...

Tell your "friend" that it isn't a sign of unhappiness, just a sign that you can't commit, or might have ADD.;)