Breaking the TV Addiction

From Television Addiction in Scientific American: [thanks MMF]

Perhaps the most ironic aspect of the struggle for survival is how easily organisms can be harmed by that which they desire. The trout is caught by the fisherman’s lure, the mouse by cheese. But at least those creatures have the excuse that bait and cheese look like sustenance. Humans seldom have that consolation. The temptations that can disrupt their lives are often pure indulgences. No one has to drink alcohol, for example. Realizing when a diversion has gotten out of control is one of the great challenges of life.

Excessive cravings do not necessarily involve physical substances. Gambling can become compulsive; sex can become obsessive. One activity, however, stands out for its prominence and ubiquity—the world’s most popular leisure pastime, television.

[From ]http://www.slashdot.org]

There is a difference between watching tv and watching a tv show. When a person decides to watch a tv show, that’s 30 minutes to an hour that the person has planned. When a person sits down to watch tv and channel surfs all afternoon, that’s a period of time the person has made the choice to forego planning of one’s activities in deference to programming schedulers.

Here is where technology like Tivo and other PVR’s can make a huge difference. If used in balance to select specific TV shows, it makes the experience a time-limited event. When we were watching a single episode of 7th Heaven, skipping over the ads with the jump button, and turning off the TV afterwards, the effect was quite different than just cruising 500 channels.
 
Also Television Addiction in Scientific American:

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.

I can anecdotally confirm this from observing my children, especially my son. After watching “too much” T.V., he gets stupid—mentally and emotionally. He has to struggle to answer math questions, and he is more sensitive and fragile in his relations with others. While this is somewhat less pronounced now that he’s nearly 10, I suspect that it just manifests in different ways—probably in the same ways “too much” T.V. affects me.

The next trick is to define how much is “too much.”