It looks like it’s time for an obligatory anti-television post. It has been experientially verified by myself & scientifically proven by many others that TV-viewing actively makes stupid people dumber & intelligent people less smart than they would have been otherwise:
Researcher Herbert Krugman conducted experiments in which he observed that, in people who are watching television, the right brain is twice as active as the left brain, a “neurological anomaly.” The crossover from left to right brain releases endorphins, the body’s form of opiates, which are also released during such activities as cracking one’s knuckles, strenuous exercise (“runner’s high”) and orgasm.
The body suffers withdrawal symptoms when a regular endorphin-releasing habit is ceased. This has been proven to occur with television watchers in several studies. For example, a West German study had 182 people agree to stop watching television for a year (and get paid for their trouble). None of them made it longer than six months and, Moore says, “…all showed the symptoms of opiate withdrawal: increased anxiety, frustration and depression.”
When you are watching television, your higher brain regions (the neocortex and midbrain, for example) shut down, and activity shifts to the lower brain. The function of the lower brain, or “reptile brain,” is reactive — it merely responds to stimuli (the “fight or flight” response).
Also, it cannot distinguish between real and fabricated images, which is the job of the neocortex, so it reacts to television events and images as though they were real (releasing appropriate hormones, etc.).
Yes, a person watching inordinate amounts of television will likely experience withdrawal after significantly decreasing viewing time. Unfortunately, it does get worse:
Krugman’s research also supported the theory that television watching “numbs” the left brain and shifts activity to the right, sometimes PERMANENTLY. This is an ominous thought, as the left brain handles the organization, analysis and judgment of incoming data. The consequences of this could be quite severe; long-term television watchers could find their judgment severely impaired, for example, and children plopped in front of televisions for hours every day might see their brains’ development altered.
