How Television Influences on Us

Introduction

The new age of technology has brought many tremendous commodities to our world, with the exception of television. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, parents paid no mind to their children mindlessly staring at a screen for a couple of hours a day. However, the days of trustworthy television are over. Family members can no longer sit back and relax knowing their children are learning hard work and family values from shows like “Happy Days” or “The Brady Bunch.” Television is deteriorating the minds of the millennial generation, and the evidence shows it.

Television's Influence on Behavior

The detrimental effects of too much television far outweigh any minimal cognitive benefit. The American Psychological Association has meticulously studied the relationship between children’s exposure to violent television and whether they’re prone to aggression because of it. Though much evidence is out there that already confirms that a child will be prone to more aggression at an older age when exposed to too much violent television, the majority of these studies have honed in only on the more immediate short-term effects and are usually targeted towards a specific gender. The APA study, however, focuses on a gender-neutral observation of a child’s passive ability to separate themselves from the sensitive situations in a violent television show, and the long-term effect that they have on a person’s demeanor. According to Huesmann et al. (2003), "The results of this study revealed that early childhood exposure to TV violence predicted aggressive behavior for both males and females in adulthood." Though the study was gender-neutral, it shed some light on the different reactions between both sexes. Whenever a male child watches a violent male character, they are more likely to become violent or aggressive in adulthood than when they watch the opposite gender, and vice versa. Furthermore, as they age, men tend to engage in direct violence, whereas women act verbally, and indirectly, and have a more generally aggressive demeanor. Another effect of exposure to violent television over a long period of time is desensitization. Episode after episode, children become less and less sensitive to the violence they are exposed to on television, until it is almost second nature. It goes without saying that when someone is accustomed to aggression, they are more likely to become violent. That being said, the American Psychological Association experiment also found that already aggressive children who were exposed to violent television actually didn’t become more aggressive because of it; children who weren’t aggressive before, however, did. Regardless of feelings or opinions, the evidence is absolutely clear. "These findings suggest that, while aggressive children may choose to watch more violent TV programming, it is more plausible that early childhood exposure to TV violence stimulates increases in aggression later in adulthood" (Huesmann et al., 2003).

The Physical Toll of Television

Whatever effect television has on a person’s mind; their body is affected even worse. Most Americans spend more than just a couple of hours a day watching television, and it’s proving fatal. Older studies show the obvious; sitting around all day is detrimental to people's health. However, more recent research found that spending too much time watching television can have an even worse effect on a person’s body than if they were to just sit around. The American Heart Association delved deeper into the reality of a sedentary life. The results of the American Heart Association’s study exposed the truth about television’s detrimental effect. Spending just three hours or more watching television can increase the risk of dying prematurely by one hundred percent. Almost 14,000 Spanish university graduates were studied for nearly a decade to decide which types of sedentary behaviors caused premature deaths. "All-cause mortality incidence rate ratios (IRRs) per 2 hours per day were 1.40 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 to 1.84) for television viewing, 0.96 (95% CI: 0.79 to 1.18) for computer use, and 1.14 (95% CI: 0.90 to 1.44) for driving, after adjustment for age, sex, smoking status, total energy intake, Mediterranean diet adherence, body mass index, and physical activity" (Martínez-González et al., 2011). Interestingly enough, there was not enough evidence to prove that being on the computer or driving had any effect on someone’s mortality to prove anything. However, those who spent more than three hours watching television per day tended to suffer more from physical and mental conditions than anyone else. It only confirms the harsh reality; television robs people of their intellectual energy, their precious time, and their life.

Conclusion

Whether it is a controversial reality show, an epic military drama, or an edge-of-your-seat horror film, the viewer is being affected. There is tremendous evidence that links sedentary behavior, specifically watching television, to many health issues. Aggression, depression, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer have all been attributed to too much television. Sitting in front of a screen for more than a couple of hours a day will rob you of your body, your mind, and your soul. As Theodore Dalrymple perfectly put it, "Turn off, tune out, drop completely."

References

Huesmann, L. R., Moise-Titus, J., Podolski, C.-L., & Eron, L. D. (2003). Longitudinal relations between children’s exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and violent behavior in young adulthood: 1977-1992. Developmental Psychology, 39(2), 201–221. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.39.2.201

Martínez-González, M. A., López-García, E., León-Muñoz, L., & Guallar-Castillón, P. (2011). Sedentary behaviors and mortality risk. American Journal of Epidemiology, 173(3), 291–299. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwq353