Do You Mind? – A Reflection on a Recent Study on the Effects of Television on the Mind

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 08-06-15 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

Do You Mind? – A Reflection on a Recent Study on the Effects of Television on the Mind

Msgr. Charles Pope • August 6, 2015 •

A recent article by Mark Pattison of Catholic News Service summarizes a recent study that shows how too much television is detrimental to the life of the mind. Common sense has known this for years (after all, it is called the “boob tube”). But we moderns love our empirical data, and now the results are coming in from studies conducted over the past several decades.

But it is more than the content of television that is the problem. Being sedentary (typical during television viewing) is also a problem. A sedentary lifestyle is bad for the body in general, and since the brain is part of the body, it is negatively affected as well. I would also argue that the medium of television itself has a deleterious effect on our ability to think and especially on our concentration.

Here are a few excerpts from the CNS article:

[A]study, whose preliminary results were issued in July, suggests that the more TV you watch, the more likely you are to get Alzheimer’s disease. …

The study—which for 25 years has tracked 3,247 people whose ages at the start ranged from 18 to 30—investigated the association between sedentary lifestyles, cognitive performance, and the risk of developing dementia. …

The researchers’ conclusion: “Long-term patterns of low physical activity and high television viewing in early adulthood were associated with worse midlife executive function and processing speed (two cognitive function tests). These risk behaviors may be critical targets for prevention of cognitive aging. … This is something you can do something about,” Yaffe said. Her prescription: change your lifestyle and thus lower your risk. In other words, stop watching so much of the tube.

Notice that the problem isn’t just Alzheimer’s disease, but “worse midlife executive function and processing speed.” In other words, too much TV rots your brain.

Some years ago it was popular to say regarding television, “It’s not the medium, it’s the message.” And the point of this expression was to say that TV could be used for good purposes. Fair enough. But I would argue that to some degree it is also the medium of TV itself that causes harm.

That flickering blue light, combined with almost complete passivity on the part of the viewer, can harm the life of the mind. I would argue that this occurs in the following ways:

1. Reduced attention span – The constant flickering of the picture is bad enough, but the “seven second rule” seals the deal. The “seven second rule” refers to the idea that the content of the picture must change at least every seven seconds in order to keep the viewer’s attention. Thus, even when you are watching an interview, something about the picture is supposed to change at least every seven seconds. Maybe it’s the angle of the picture that changes, or perhaps the focus of the camera shifts to a different person; maybe there’s a cutaway shot, or the appearance of some sort of pop-up box. But constant change and movement is the norm for TV and cinematography.

This, of course, is not real life. When there is a steady diet of flickering light, and a diversion of some sort every seven seconds, one’s attention span is reduced. Navigating real life, staying focused in real conversations, and performing tasks that require focus all become more challenging. I think a lot of the ADHD that is “diagnosed” today actually goes back to a steady diet of TV and rapid-pace video games.

2. Passivity of the viewer – At least with reading, one has to use the imagination and engage in some sort of discipline. Reading also helps one learn how to spell and how to write well. Even with radio, the imagination is still engaged and one is not necessarily glued to a stationary box in the room. Television, however, encourages complete passivity. I cannot tell you a thing I am supposed to do after I turn it on except to let my jaw hang open and my eyes grow glassy.

I will grant that TV can do a good job of bringing sight, sound, and learning together. I can learn a lot much more quickly by watching an episode of “How it’s Made” on the Science Channel than if I were to try to read about the procedures. Still, I would argue that too much of this sort of learning can be harmful. Such learning can be a thousand miles wide but only two inches deep. More often, TV is a lousy medium when it comes to provoking further or deeper thought. Learning how it’s made is great, but TV would not have me ponder why it’s made or what it means. There’s no time for that; it’s off to commercials and then on to the next show. And so we know less and less about more and more.

3. Frequent channel flipping – When we are bored, or when a commercial comes on, there’s no need to worry, just flip the channel. But again, this is poor preparation for life, which does not admit of such simple and selfish decisions. Thus, in a variation on the attention span problem, we grow impatient quickly when life does not please us for even a few moments. But in real life flipping the channel is not possible, so we tune out in other ways or even become resentful at something longer than a sound bite.
4. A big time-waster – Many people who watch TV in the evening get drawn into watching more and more of it. Before they realize it, they’ve been sitting in front of the tube for nearly two hours. People often fail to get enough sleep because of television. Many others do not stay in touch with family or attend to other duties because television watching consumes so much of their time. People often ask me how I am able to write so much. Well, one reason is that I don’t watch much TV. Having the time to write is obviously essential. I also read a lot. Reading helps you to write because you’re learning from others who write. But TV can kill the clock for better things like reading, writing, conversing, and the like.

The study goes on to state two other problems associated with watching too much television, both of which are pretty much common sense:

Dissociation – Previous research has shown that people who watch a lot of TV tend to grow disassociated from the reality happening outside their front door.

Fear and avoidance – And TV watchers who focus their viewing on the news tend to not want to associate with the world outside their door because they’ve acquired the sense that the world—as shown by the if-it-bleeds-it-leads mentality of TV news directors everywhere—is not a safe place.

I stopped watching the 24/7 news channels some time ago for this reason. I got tired of the “Breaking News!” mentality. They were always trying to create an urgency around things that were not that urgent. I also became convinced that I was being “played.” News agencies and the entities that feed them have gotten very sophisticated at “selling” news and generating issues. I realize that being informed is important, but I have grown far more careful about whom I permit to inform me. These days I look to less sensational ways of collecting and discerning the news.

OK, I usually write on matters of the spiritual life, Scripture, Church teaching, and culture as it relates to the life of faith. Perhaps this post is a slight diversion from my usual fare. But it does involve the life of the mind. And the mind is our most precious gift. We do well to attend to the life of the mind, for the grace of faith builds on nature. Treat your mind well: turn off the tube and read a book!

Oh, and read my blog, too!

[Salvation]

I don't have a plugged in TV for many of these reasons. I thought I would miss it, but I don't.

[Tax-chick]

I confess to a surprising fondness for “Sofia the First,” a Disney cartoon series aimed at the 3- to 6-year-old girl audience.

[marktwain]

I turned off the boob tube in 1994. It may be the best move that I ever made. It freed up an enormous amount of time, changed my outlook in many positive ways, and freed me from the programming of the old media.

[angryoldfatman]

There’s a good reason why television is mentioned in Anton Lavey’s Satanic Bible.

[Lee N. Field]

I don't have a plugged in TV for many of these reasons. I thought I would miss it, but I don't.

The last show I followed was Babylon 5, which I think ended it's 5 year run in 2000. Even then, that was pretty much all I watched. We've not had a functioning TeeVee around here for years.

[Disambiguator]

TV IS KING

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXlln3s_8xc)

I wish I was the man with the mechanical heart
I’d conquer all my enemies alone
I’d tear the guys apart
then scatter the pieces

I wish I was the man in the soundproof booth
I wish I had a chance to stump the band
or maybe tell truth
and maybe I could win a color television

I really love my television
I love to sit by television
Can’t live without my television

TV is king
You’re my everything

I wish I had the girl with the bouncy hair
We’d ride off in a brand new car
or fly a plane somewhere
like probably Jamaica

I brush my teeth, shampoo my hair, and shave my face
Apply the necessary aerosol
in the appropriate place
And we’ll spend the night together watching television

I can’t turn off my television
Don’t really know why television
I understand my television

You got your works in a drawer and your color’s on track
You have to break away but you always come back
You make a hundred changes but you’re always the same
You make me so excited and you make me so lame
You’re just a tube full of gas and a box full of tin
But you show me your charms and I want to jump in
Oh if only your chassis was covered with skin
‘Cause TV you’re my everything

I really love my television
I love to sit by television
Can’t live without my television
I can’t turn off my television
Don’t really know why television
I understand my television
I really love my television

TV is king
You’re my everything
TV is king

[momtothree]

Yes, TV affects the mind but I think it also affects the waist line. Some months back, I had a horrible case of the stomach flu. I would get it all settled down and sit on the couch to watch tv. Then I noticed huge bouts of nausea when the commercials came on... food commercials. I’ve been on a diet for about 5 weeks now and you know when I get really, REALLY hungry? Yep, commercial time. So, I am either reading, doing organizing projects, Free Republic or when I really want to watch something.. I watch Netflix (no commercials). I guess to sum it up, television does affect you in more ways than I think we know.

[I want the USA back]

Yes, but be careful about what causes what. It’s to be expected that a feeble-minded individual would be drawn to TV.
TV viewing doesn’t cause those pathologies, but it confirms them and does not provide a path out of them.
TV viewing is by nature passive, and does not challenge, or favor critical thinking.

[Skooz]

bump for later

I pulled the plug 2 1/2 years ago and haven’t missed TV for a second.

I have Netflix and Amazon Prime streaming. I like them but only get around to watching them once or twice a month.

Life’s too short.

[Salvation]

Monsignor Pope Ping!

[mlizzy]

I don't know which is worse; television or the Internet. Both can be addicting and a waste of time, depending.

Another poignant use of Perpetual Adoration is as perhaps the premiere alternative to the mass media's monopoly of our time and manipulation of our minds, especially through television and personal computers. When exploring this subject on his popular EWTN show, Life on the Rock, host Jeff Cavins talked about how many people (Catholics included) sit in front of a TV and/or computer several hours a day. First, the proliferation of stations due to cable and satellite dishes increases our television choices making it harder to turn the set off. Secondly, the use of remote control allows us to watch (if not comprehend) several shows at one time. Our mind is literally flooded with images until the shows practically overwhelm our senses and our ability to find any goodness or truth or beauty in what we are viewing. Similarly, browsing endless websites, entering random chat rooms, or spending hours on computer games can eventually lead us to deny the necessity to bear witness in the real world, if not the belief of His Real Presence in it.

By contrast, the eyes of a soul who often looks upon the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament see not random images, but a single Light. Unlike television viewing, where the TV dominates the exchange, in Eucharistic Adoration there is constant communication, the Lord listening as the soul speaks, then the soul listening as the Lord responds. And while many agnostic computer experts dream of capturing time and space by literally plugging us (complete with tiny microchips in our foreheads) into the "Net," Fr. Hardon in his article Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament explains that "The prayer before the Eucharist believes that time is erased by the miracle of the Real Presence, and so is distance and space." Computer technology may lead you to believe that through the information highway man can someday conquer the world, but faith in Christ's Death and Resurrection, strengthened by belief in the Real Presence convinces us that Christ already has... -Tom O'Toole, "Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapels: Their Place in Our Busy World."

http://adorationrocks.com

[Boogieman]

“But it is more than the content of television that is the problem. Being sedentary (typical during television viewing) is also a problem. A sedentary lifestyle is bad for the body in general, and since the brain is part of the body, it is negatively affected as well.”

Umm, reading, studying, writing, painting, music, these are all pretty sedentary activities as well. Are they bad for us intellectually as well, then?

[Mercat]

I had quite watching the 24 hour news cycle too but got sucked back in by the debate. I need to work on staying tuned out. I do enjoy watching Blue Bloods but pretty much that’s all.

[Tax-chick]

Excellent point. However, “research,” as reported by my fitness-obsessed husband, shows that intellectual functioning is improved by exercise ... so if you hit the elliptical trainer, but are watching television at the same time ... well, it’s probably a wash.

[Carthego delenda est]

It was advertised that there would be a sort of ‘party’ for the debate on the patio of a restaurant in town, hosted by the county Republican Party. I decided I’d go and watch it. It was the first TeeVee I’ve watched in years. I quickly realized that I wasn’t missing anything at all when it became apparent that Fox News wasn’t really hosting a debate, but rather some sort of pitting of the ‘moderators’ against the candidates with a preconceived attack plan. I watched about half of it and then had enough. I don’t miss TeeVee at all, and after watching that crap yesterday evening, it seems that even something that should be informative and educational (about the candidates) is really driven by an agenda by the network and those who own it. No thanks.

[Cboldt]

   I am gross and perverted
   I'm obsessed 'n deranged
   I have existed for years   
   But very little has changed
   I am the tool of the Government
   And industry too
   For I am destined to rule
   And regulate you

   I may be vile and pernicious
   But you can't look away
   I make you think I'm delicious
   With the stuff that I say
   I am the best you can get
   Have you guessed me yet?
   I am the slime oozin' out
   From your TV set                                                                                  

   You will obey me while I lead you
   And eat the garbage that I feed you
   Until the day that we don't need you
   Don't go for help...no one will heed you
   Your mind is totally controlled
   It has been stuffed into my mold
   And you will do as you are told
   Until the rights to you are sold

   That's right, folks..
   Don't touch that dial

   Well, I am the slime from your video
   Oozin' along on your livin'room floor

   I am the slime from your video
   Can't stop the slime, people, look at me go

[discostu]

Of course for pretty much that whole list the problem isn’t the TV, it’s what they’re not doing and instead watching TV. You can not do all those things and fill that time with puzzle building and you’ll have all the same problems.

[mumblypeg]

A book called Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander made similar points from a strictly secular perspective.
I tossed my TV several years ago when The Government required a switch to “high definition” TV, which (we were told) would be better in disaster situations. Something about all that seemed suspect to me.

[terycarl]

I quickly realized that I wasn’t missing anything at all when it became apparent that Fox News wasn’t really hosting a debate, but rather some sort of pitting of the ‘moderators’ against the candidates with a preconceived attack plan. I watched about half of it and then had enough.

Not very observant, are you?? 25,000,000 people watched the debate and I have heard nothing but praise for it. With the number of candidates involved, the Fox format was about the best that they could do. I don't think any of the candidates are complaining so they must be satisfied with the results.A round table type discussion would have been physically impossible and the rules concerning confrontation were very fair. I have no idea as to where you get your information on current events, but stick with Fox and at least you will receive the most honest appraisal of the days news.

[metmom]

While I don’t disagree with the article as a whole, I am not sure the conclusion of the researchers is valid.

It might not be so much that watching TV CAUSES dementia, as much as those prone to dementia are more likely to engage in television watching.

Watching lots of TV might be more of an indicator of a propensity towards dementia instead of the cause of it.